Out of tragedy, love is born
by Angel From Above Is Here
Summary: Erestor is attacked by a group of Uruk-Hai. He is badly injured, and his friends immediately see that it will take a lot of work to get him well again. But will they succeed? And who will be vital to his recovery process?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wrote this story as a birthday present for a friend of mine. She liked it, so I decided to post it. This is my first every Lord of the Rings story, so I would love to hear what you think about it. Even if you didn't like it at all! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**1**

Erestor was faced with a million different sorts of pain when he regained consciousness. His ankle was throbbing, his wrist felt like there were a thousand burning knives penetrating the skin, a burning gash was present on his back, his head felt like a dwarf was trying to break free from it by using his axe. His lungs felt as if they were on fire, there was pressure on his chest, the left side of his face throbbed.

When he tried to open his eyes, he found that they refused. His left eye stung, making him flinch. His lip was hurt as well, stinging angrily when his facial features contorted momentarily.

"He's up," growled a foul voice near him.

Erestor was immediately aware he was not safe. Again trying to open his eyes, he succeeded. He could barely see anything with his left eye, yet the right was all he needed to find himself staring at an ugly Uruk-Hai face. Behind the ugly creature, he noticed the sun was already beginning to sink lower.

He tried to get away. He knew he was in a bad state, but he would not go down without a fight. The creatures would have a hard time enjoying themselves with him, he would make sure of that.

But then, another thought crept in his head. _They already have. Where do you think the pain is coming from?_

Memories washed over him. He had left the Last Homely House at the break of dawn to allow himself some time to himself before his duties consumed him for the rest of the day. There was a little river at the southern border, and he greatly enjoyed simply sitting there to relax. Those were the only times he did that, since the Valley and his Lord depended on him. That meant he must have been unconscious for nearly a day, at least. It might have been longer.

"He'll soon wish he wasn't," snapped a second voice.

Panic started to get a hold of Erestor. Though that did not stop the memories.

He remembered that the Uruk-Hai had found him at the side of the stream. They had managed to come close enough to him without him knowing they were there to surprise him.

Their leader had shouted, his beasts had sprung into action. Erestor had known he would not be able to flee from his foes. There were too many, they were too savage and he was unarmed.

He had used the single knife he had had on him to defend himself, though. He had killed two of them, which was why the leader and his creatures had decided to start breaking him down straight away. After all, they wanted nothing more than to see him scream in agony.

At first it had simply been punches. More designed to humiliate him and break his resolve than to truly hurt him, they had been landed in his face most of the time. He had struggled against the bonds that had kept him from moving, had tried to fight back.

They had gotten bored with the Elf rather quickly. He had proven to be a little too hard to break for Uruk-Hai who had obviously on the road for a very long time.

Yet after having some bread and a rather nasty smelling beverage, they had found the time to deal with the Elf again. One of the Uruk-Hai had made to pull Erestor down by his long, black hair, but the councilor had spat at him. Tough it had momentarily stopped the Uruk, he had been twice as determined to get Erestor to talk. And he wasn't above any means, as was typical of his kind. They had begun to kick him as well then, which had fracture his ankle, explaining the throbbing pain.

But by the look on their faces, he would be treated to the worst they had very shortly. And he could only hope that he would be able to breathe after they were done.

"What are you gonna do?" the first voice again.

"I plan on makin' him scream. Now," growled the second Uruk.

Erestor shivered. He began mentally preparing for the pain, the humiliation they had in store for him. If he shredded a part of his mind off, tucked it away safely inside, his body would be able to endure the pain.

The Uruk now turned around. His claws were holding a knife, dried blood still visible on the tip. His face was split in a grin which bared all his rotten teeth.

"He ain't gonna look that pretty when he's all cut up," grinned the first Uruk.

Forcing his face to appear avoid of any emotion, Erestor realized his fear was taking a hold of him. He had struggled so hard when they had bound him, yet now he was awaiting his fate without hope for chance.

That thought strengthened him. He would make these foul creatures pay for what they had already done, what they were about to do.

"Now we've just gotta see how fast his beauty'll fade," grinned the leader.

The knife was pushed against Erestor's skin. The coldness gave him something to grasp onto, something that allowed him to focus on something other than the pain he was undoubtedly going to experience.

The edge pushed a little deeper into his skin. It was not yet cutting, though the promise it soon would was clear.

"I bet it'll be very fast," rumbled his companion.

And without any more ado, he brought his hand down against Erestor's already hurt cheek sharply. One of the Uruk's nails cut his skin. Blood trickled down to his neck, the warm liquid in great contrast to the chilly air surrounding him.

Tears sprang into his eyes. But he bit them back, as he would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

Again, the hand came down. This time, the blow was aimed lower. It tore his lip, making his gasp in pain and surprise. Where he had taken a blow to it before, this one made him bleed.

"Look at that, he wasn't expectin' you to do that," grumbled the first Uruk.

The growling sounds the second one made, were undeniably laughter. Erestor felt sick to the stomach as he realized that.

"He's damn sweet when he does that, ain't he?" was the next sentence that penetrated his foggy mind.

He was pulled up roughly by his hair. His bruised body protested, but he was too weak to do anything. Yet he wasn't sure his captors knew that. If he played stronger, maybe they would see him as too much of a burden and they would leave him.

_Or kill me_, he though immediately after.

He pushed that thought from his mind. If he wanted to stand a chance of escaping, he had to believe he was capable.

The Uruk touched the blood on Erestor's lip. Dragging it over his cheek, his face split over a grin.

"Damn sweet when he's covered in his own blood, too," grunted the other.

Some of the other beasts were still eating maggoty bread, the last food they had. There wouldn't be anything else for them for at least some days, possibly a week, judging by the quantity of it.

Other were still drinking the strange liquid, but what exactly they were pouring into their mouths Erestor did not know. And he was sure the answer wouldn't please him, so he did not attempt to solve the riddle.

"But he still ain't talkin' now, is he?" was the next question.

There was no verbal response. Erestor's body tensed, every muscle knowing that what was to come next would make him scream.

And scream, he did. The blow to his ribs had made one crack, in addition to his other already badly injured ribs. Fortunately, it was one of his lower ribs. Else, he might have had to deal with a punctured lung.

"That ain't talkin'," came the accusation of one of the Uruk-Hai.

Erestor had not realized it until then, but he was now surrounded by the others. Apparently, it was more interesting to watch someone being tortured than to eat. He should have expected that.

"I like him screamin' more than talkin'," said the bigger Uruk he had seen when he had opened his eyes.

There was laughter going through the group. The tone of it was even more evil than Erestor had ever thought it would be. More evil than before. It made him pull against the bonds weakly again. But to no avail.

"Then make him scream some more!" they yelled.

If he wouldn't have been so scared they would rejoice in his groaning, he wouldn't have refrained. As it was, he kept silent, the only sound he made being his slightly labored breathing.

The Uruk began tracing Erestor's face with his claws. With his last strength, he pulled back with a growl.

"He doesn't like your touch," grinned another beast.

His torturer grinned. The wicked gleam in his eyes meant trouble, and everyone around him knew that.

"He'll learn to soon enough," he snapped at the Elf.

He brought his hand back to Erestor's chin, grabbing it and forcing the beautiful Elf to look him straight in the eyes.

"And that's a promise," he vowed.

Nausea came over Erestor. This Uruk was going to make him like being touched by him? And how was he going to do that? Probably by beating him some more in an attempt to make the Elf do as he pleased.

What he had not expected was his next order.

"Take of his tunic," the Uruk said.

One of the creatures pulled a knife from his belt. With practiced ease he began to tear away the fabric.

Erestor wanted to struggle. Yet he kept silent, hanging from the bonds tying him to the tree. If he moved, he might get cut. And more pain was the last thing he needed. He was already in so much pain that he had no desire to inflict more of it on himself. And blood loss would only make him weaker.

Because he was not very strong anymore. The blood he had lost because of the gash on his back had weakened him. And he needed time to replace it, as the wound had begun to close as far as he could tell.

"Seems he's struggling less now," came the grinning observation.

Cold claws were pushed against his chest. They were not quite touching, the contact was too light for that. But even the ghostly presence was enough to make Erestor try and pull back slightly in an attempt to create distance.

The Uruk did not seem to care. He turned around and grunted to his second in command, making a motion that was meaningless in Erestor's eyes but that told the Uruk exactly what he needed to do.

The next thing he saw, was a jar being handed to the leader. There was something in it which resembled water.

What did they have in store for him? Were they going to try and frighten him by throwing water over him, as it was something they did not like? But then again, they could not seriously expect him to be afraid of it? After all, they had found him next to a stream. It must be something else. But what?

His question was addressed by the Uruk to his far left.

"Wha's tha'?" he asked.

Throwing his head in his neck, the leader barked his laughter to the skies.

"Saruman's own concoction," he spoke wickedly.

He applied small amounts of the paste all over Erestor's chest. Under his left nipple, over his heart and above his navel.

At first, there was no reaction. But the magic Saruman had used to create this paste soon began to work. The areas with paste on them began to burn, angry red blisters appearing.

Erestor was shaking violently, the bonds cutting into the flesh of his wrists. There was a snapping sound when he jerked up when the Uruk pressed his claw against the burn above his navel.

"You didn't like that, did ya? Stay still and you might enjoy what I've got in store for you next. If you struggle, it'll be _very_ painful," grunted the leader, stressing the next to last word.

He extended a hand and grabbed the knife the other Uruk had used to cut away his tunic. Before Erestor was aware of what was happening, one side of his leggings was cut open.

He forced Erestor's legs further apart. The Elf hissed in pain when his ankle collided with the tree.

The Uruk began touching the porcelain skin on his legs. Erestor wanted to scream. He wanted to kick, scream, fight in every way possible. But this creature was going to rape him. And there was nothing he could do about it, as he was tied and had no weapons to defend himself.

He was sick to the bone right now. There was naught he wanted to do more than vomit, take away the nausea that had claimed a hold over him. But his body refused to obey his order.

The other side of his legging was cut open as well. They were nothing but a useless rag anymore. There was nothing but a small cloth that kept him from being completely naked now, and he assumed the Uruk-Hai would do away with that as well.

But the leader had different plans. He let his hands wander over the bruised skin of Erestor's chest, now making full contact. Every time his hand ventured lower. His grumbling told Erestor he was pleased with what he found.

Tears began to form in his eyes. Although he fought against the hands on his body and the tears, it was fruitless. Salty drops began to drip down his cheeks, and the hands did not stop.

With one final grunt, the Uruk now began to touch his legs. Higher and higher the claws went. At a certain point, the nails began to cut the skin, the nails digging deep into and through the flesh.

And all the while, Saruman's concoction was burning his skin.

Suddenly the Uruk pressed Erestor against the tree forcefully. White, bright pain exploded behind his closed eyelids at the contact. His legs were forced around the Uruk's waist.

And the creature forced his pelvis against the tree hard. His entire weight was pushing against Erestor's entire body, who felt as if he were trapped beneath a rock. He struggled for breath, gasping and panicking.

He struggled as hard as he could. But the bark of the tree caused more wounds to the now exposed skin, and the body on top of his did not move. Pain flared in his pelvis as he felt how more weight was applied to make it stay where it was. But he kept struggling, knowing that if he stopped, he would get raped.

But then, there was a nearly inaudible sound that caught the Elf's attention. He had heard it so many times before that there was no mistaking it. He only hoped that the creatures would hear it and recognize it, as it was his only chance of surviving.

_If they don't panic and kill you first_, the little voice in the back of his mind reminded him.

The leader pulled his body away from the Elves. He sniffed, moving his head around as to figure out what he had felt was wrong.

Erestor's chest heaved heavily. The pressure on his lungs he had woken up to was nothing compared to what he was experiencing now. There was no air penetrating them, however hard he tried. He was suffocating, he was sure of it.

The Uruk-Hai were not paying any attention. They had heard the same sound that he had mere seconds ago: hooves rapidly moving closer to them.

"Grab your damn food an' weapons. We're running!" grunted the leader.

Within less than one minute, every Uruk was holding a bread wrapped in a cloth made for traveling. Their swords and knives were at their sides.

Erestor was feeling so dizzy he could not find the energy to pull himself up a little straighter. His ankle would not be able to take all of his weight, his pelvis burned with even the smallest move he made, but at least it would have been less painful than having his probably broken wrists pulled this high above his head in combination with the other painful injuries he had sustained.

Suddenly, the Uruk-Hai started moving.

"What above 'im?" one of the beasts asked.

He leader snorted.

"Leave the Elf. He'd be no more than a burden," he grumbled.

And then, there was a voice Erestor knew all too well. Glorfindel's voice, sounding above all of the commotion rising when the Uruk-Hai saw the Elves that had been closer than they had anticipated.

"Destroy them! Leave none alive!" was his order.

And his warriors obeyed. They rode onto the clearing, their swords reflecting the rays of the setting sun.

His eyes refused to focus, the sounds seemed far away, even though the battle was no more than mere feet away from him. The world was spinning around him, blurred shapes being the only things left for him to see.

But not one of the warriors seemed to notice the Elf tied to the tree, the state he was in. It was as if he was invisible. To those he had lived with for thousands of years, he was as invisible as he had been to the Uruk-Hai

His eyes began to close, nothing he did could make them fight the urge to close and never open again. His heart was burdened so heavily it seemed to struggle to keep beating.

_Please, make this stop… Please…_ Was the only thing that he could think. He was so cold, so weak and so tired that whatever happened next did not matter to him anymore. He only wished that he could close his eyes and never open them again, for the pain to be gone and the memories to be taken away.

But then, through the turmoil in his head, there was a voice that brought him back from the dark cavern he was rapidly falling into.

"Erestor!"

It was Glorfindel. The golden warrior had noticed his body hanging from the tree, it seemed.

"Erestor, respond!" Glorfindel shouted above the sounds of the battle still going on around them.

The dark Elf could do naught more than groan weakly. There was too little air in his lungs to do anything else.

Apparently, it had been enough. Glorfindel of the House of the Golden Flower had heard it. And within mere seconds, Erestor felt the larger Elf carefully put his hands against the restraints to remove them.

Now that he was finally lose, Erestor did not have the strength to do anything else than fall against Glorfindel. His ankle did not permit him to support himself, and his wrists were useless.

"I've got you, mellonamin. It's alright, I've got you. Just stay with me now," came Glorfindel's voice.

Erestor held onto that sound. It was the only thing that kept him from losing consciousness.

"Awra…" he croaked.

It was all he could manage. And deep down, he knew it was an attempt to make Glorfindel be careful whilst holding him, even though he did not want him to let go.

"Amin sinta tanya," Glorfindel whispered softly.

Erestor felt the other Elf removing one of his hands and heard a soft clicking sound. And then, he was covered by a warm cloak.

"Wear this. It will keep you warm and safe from unwanted gazes," said Glorfindel.

"Hannon lle," Erestor whispered hoarsely.

Erestor felt how Glorfindel carefully grabbed a better hold of his upper body to steady him and placed his other arm against his knees. Mere seconds later he was lifted.

Tears from pain tumbled down his face. He buried his face against the golden warrior's shoulder, trying to find comfort in the fact he was now as close to Glorfindel, whom he had loved for over three hundred years, as he had only dreamed to be.

Glorfindel kept making reassuring sounds the entire time.

"It'll be okay, Erestor… I'm taking you away from this madness… You will be fine…"

It was as a mantra to the Noldo, who focused on the words, all the while clinging to Glorfindel as if he were his lifeline. And in a way he was.

"Asfaloth!" the warrior called out.

The horse came running to them, Erestor could tell by the sound of hooves approaching them.

"Down, seas," Glorfindel asked.

With his last strength, Erestor opened his eyes to find the horse obeying its master. He kneeled, allowing Glorfindel to mount him with his burden in his arms.

Without as much as one last word to the other warriors, Glorfindel pushed his heels into the horse's sides.

"We'll be back home soon, mellonamin. You're safe," he whispered.

And Erestor allowed his eyes to close. He was too tired to even make a sound, instead slipping into darkness.

**A/N: Here are the translations to the Elfish words I used. If I missed any, feel free to ask me to translate those as well!**

**mellonamin= Friend****  
><strong>**Awra = Hurts (Als in: It hurts)****  
><strong>**Amin sinta tanya = I know that****  
><strong>**Hannon lle = Thank you****  
><strong>**seas = Please**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is the second chapter. There's more to come, so keep me posted as to whether you enjoy reading this story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. And I never will either.**

**2**

Glorfindel was pacing the halls of the Last Homely House restlessly. The past three hours he had been left without information while Elrond and his twin sons were tending to Erestor. The worry and the waiting now began to weigh heavily on the Vanya's mind as the darkness closed in around him.

He was on the verge of losing himself to rage, the warrior was well aware of it. His hands were trembling, his body refusing to listen to the order he was giving his extremities to simply remain unmoving.

Yet the most telling were his eyes. The azure orbs that normally shone with love for the whole of Arda surrounding him were now ablaze, lit with a fire no-one could turn to ashes. Not even still smouldering ashes.

For hundreds of years, Erestor had been his friend. His best friend, closer to him than even Elrond. Even though they had had their fair share of quarrels since they had first met, they had forged a relationship. Of course it consisted of much argument, mayhap even some swearing under their breaths, yet they were both rather pleased with it. Or at least he hoped it was as pleasing to Erestor as it was to him.

Now Glorfindel came to think of it, it had been quite some time since they had last argued. As of late, they often found themselves discussing some of the older works that could be found in Imladris' library. And their own collections, of course. Because they both possessed many works which had long since been forgotten about, or deemed unimportant.

The golden-haired Elf nearly smiled when the memory of Erestor's discovery he did not only enjoy training his troops but indulged in something as trivial as reading when he was given the chance suddenly came to mind.

"_Of course I enjoy reading. It makes for a pastime without any blood being shed," he had laughed._

_The look Erestor had given him, had been priceless. His eyes had been open wide, his mouth slightly ajar._

"_Are you serious?" the Noldo had incredulously questioned._

_Glorfindel had sniggered at the look he had been given. It had delighted the Vanya to know he was able to surprise Erestor, and he had immediately decided to try to do it more often from then on._

"_Of course I am. Why don't we agree to meet in my rooms a week from now? Then, we can further discuss the matter. Perhaps there are some books we both know and find interesting," he had said._

To his utter amazement, Erestor had agreed to come. He had expected the advisor to flee. After all, the dark one was not known for liking company. He was often alone, working only alongside Elrond and making the shortest appearances possible at breakfast, luncheon and diner. He seemed to avoid any personal contact, only spending time with Elrond and his family. Those visits, though, had increased after Celebrían had sailed.

They had talked for several hours that evening. It had turned out they had actually read quite a few books which were worth discussing. Their interest, at least when it came to the written word, was not so very different, they had discovered. They both liked history, as well as the myths and legends that had made their way onto scrolls throughout the ages.

Erestor had given him the titles of several books Glorfindel ought to read, according to the advisor, and had named some scrolls as well.

"_I am very sure I will be able to read some of them by the next time we meet. After all, the next patrol is only due to leave in two weeks," Glorfindel of the House of the Golden Flower had said._

_Erestor had stayed silent for a few moments, and the warrior had surmised it was to find out whether there was some disguised meaning behind his words._

"_So you would like to see me again, preferably before you leave for patrol again in two weeks?" he had asked, partially echoing the words Glorfindel had just spoken._

_Opting not to point out he was used to the Chief Advisor being a lot more eloquent, he had chosen to simply reply._

"_Of course I would. It had been a long time since I found someone who shared my interest in books," he had smiled._

_Erestor had stared at him, utter surprise very clearly readable in his dark eyes. His heart had skipped a beat knowing he had surprised his newfound friend for the second time that evening._

"_But what about Elrond? You have sought out his company more than I have, you are his most trusted friend," he had said._

Erestor had of course been right about that. He had stood by Elrond before Celebrían had left, and now that she had sailed, he spend even more times there than before. He needed to be surrounded by friends, and he needed all the help he could get to raise his two beautiful sons and his daughter.

But this conversation they had had long before his wife had sailed.

"_Aye, I seek out his company very often. He values his friends. And with the twins, a helping hand is welcome more often than not," the blonde Elf had smiled._

_Erestor smiled fondly at that._

"_They are quite a handful, that is true. Their pranks will have Imladris shaken up completely one day! But they have a way of conquering hearts, as does their onone," he had spoken warmly._

_The advisor spoke truly. And Glorfindel knew from experience. They had only had to look at him once, and his heart had been captivated. No matter how often he had been the subject of one of their pranks, they had always made up for it afterwards, by showing remorse and taking the punishment dealt without any complaints. And by showing their courage, for most of the time that was visible in their eyes._

"_Aye, they warm their father's heart every time they call him ada, their mother's every time they call her naneth. And they have secured a place in mine as well," he had told the advisor._

_Erestor had gotten more comfortable in his chair at that time. Apparently talking about Elrond and his children was less threatening to him than being reminded of the fact he was now in someone else's company, even his room._

_Glorfindel had followed his lead, leaning against the backrest more at ease now that his newfound friend seemed to have calmed down again._

"_As they did mine. And they have stolen it many times over the years. They do so every single day, even, when I visit them to wake them up and get them ready for breakfast," the Advisor had said._

_Glorfindel had of course known Erestor woke Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen every day. Their father was up before sunrise, and would be answering letters or fussing over treaties with nearby villages of Men when the Elflings should get up for breakfast. Their mother was nearly as busy, dealing with the sick and injured in the Houses of Healing._

_But when he saw them at breakfast, there was no mistaking the happiness in his eyes, or the gratitude that washed over him when he was able to envelop them in a hug. And the same went for Celebrían._

"_I wish I was able to help him and 'Brí out more often. I mean, you do so much for them, and I've never even suggested sharing the responsibility resting on your shoulder. After all, you are Elrond's Chief Advisor. He needs you," Glorfindel had said._

"_As he does you, Glorfindel. You keep the Valley safe. Protect his children from Orcs and other evil creatures getting closer to the borders every year. You're selling yourself short," Erestor had admonished._

_It was true that the warrior rode out often to make sure that none of those foul creatures made it across any of the borders. During the past few years, the Orc activity at Imladris' borders had increased tenfold. But that did not excuse him._

"_Still, I am here most of the days. Why should I not help?" he had said._

_The raven haired Elf had looked at him when he had spoken those words, an unreadable expression on his face._

"_You would help me with the twins and Arwen in the mornings?" he had asked._

_This time, his expression was not one of surprise. It was one of mild shock, and of interest._

"_I could help you get them ready, or do so myself if every you need to report to Elrond more early," he had suggested._

_Erestor had smiled at that, which had touched the blonde Elf's heart._

Three days after that talk, he had joined the Advisor in the nursery for the first time. And since that day, they had been dressing the twins and their sister together whenever that was possible.

At first, Elladan and Elrohir had been surprised. They had been used to having Erestor to themselves, and they had been a little scared they would have to share him with the golden haired Elf.

But that had not been the case. He had started by dressing Elrond's daughter, and had then helped Erestor to convince Elladan to get into his green tunic and brown leggings.

Arwen had not made much of a fuss, as the one year old was known for liking company better than her brothers. They had suffered more deeply from their naneth's departure, as the youngest did not truly understand what had happened.

And after two weeks, they had fallen into a routine. Erestor would start by dressing Elrohir, and the other twin would take his clothing to Glorfindel. Their sister would be tended to by Glorfindel or Erestor, since they would alternate.

_In a way,_ Glorfindel mused, _it's the twins and their little onone that made me realize what an amazing friend he is. And that I have lost may heart to him._

Because without the three Elflings, they would have spent a lot less time together. They would not have been given an extra opportunity to rapidly get to know each other. And it would have taken him a lot longer to figure out that his feelings were more than simply friendship.

For after almost a year, the youngest twin had suddenly turned to him when they had entered the nursery. He had been surprised, as this was the first time this was happening.

"_Glorfindel?" he had asked._

"_Yes, Elrohir?" the warrior had questioned, noticing that Elladan was now running towards Erestor._

_The four year old Elfling had bit his lip, obviously nervous about what he was going to say next. Glorfindel had put a hand on the little one's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him._

"_Can I ask you something?" he has asked._

_Glorfindel had grabbed the tunic the young one had presented him with, gesturing for the Elfling to lift his arms so he could remove the nightwear he was still running around in._

"_Of course, penn-neth," he had said, untying the belt that would later be placed around Elrohir's waist._

_The Elfling had waited until Glorfindel had pulled the tunic down and his head was free of the fabric again before speaking._

"_Why does Erestor smile so often when he looks at you?" was his next question._

_Glorfindel had almost halted his hand, which were busy helping Elrohir into his leggings. Only with great difficulty did he manage to prevent his surprise from being too obvious._

"_We are friends, that is why," he had said._

_The Elfling had stared at him with a rather peculiar look in his eyes which Glorfindel had not been able to name. But he had remained quiet, his question having been answered. Although it was obvious the answer had not completely pleased him._

That evening, Glorfindel had retired early. Elrond had looked at him with concern in his eyes when he had requested permission to be excused from the meeting in the Hall of Fire after diner.

It had taken him little to convince the Lord of Imladris to let him go, though. The simple statement that he could use some extra sleep in prospect of having to draw up new duty rosters and make up a new patrol schedule for the next month, had been enough.

But that evening, he had not gone to bed early. Instead, he had paced his room quite similarly as to how he was pacing the halls now, and he had mulled over the youngest twin's words.

For he had to admit he had not been entirely sure of the answer he had given. Yes, Erestor and he were friends. But were they only friends, or good friends? He would like to think so. They had been friends for a little over a year by that time, and he had wanted to believe the Advisor trusted him as much as he trusted the Advisor.

After a few more hours of thinking, he had decided they were indeed very good and trusted friends to one another. More than once Erestor had told him that he valued his opinion, and he had confessed to liking the other's company.

At that time, there had not yet been love in Glorfindel's heart for the dark haired Elf. Those feelings had taken many more years to slowly develop, and it had taken even more time for Glorfindel to admit that he was in love with Erestor.

But not once in all that time had the Noldo done anything to make the Vanya believe his feelings could ever be returned. So after determining that yearning for Erestor would be fruitless, he had resigned himself to being content with friendship. He would not tell the Advisor he loved him, and that way he would be able to keep him close without having to worry about losing the bond they had.

During the years, their friendship had deepened even more. They seldom needed more than a single word to understand what the other meant, Glorfindel knew what Erestor's favourite wine was, and Erestor in turn knew what his favourite dish was.

But there were times, and the occurrence was growing more frequent with every passing year, when Glorfindel would find himself staring at the ceiling at night instead of sleeping, wondering whether he had made a mistake. Usually, the instigation would be something very small. A look in the Advisor's eyes, a certain smile. Something very fleeting, gone so quickly that he would never be able to be certain it had been there. But every time that happened, he would leave his rooms at dawn determined he had imagined that glance, or that the smile he had hoped was meant for him was not as special as he had thought. And he never spoke of it to anyone.

He had a feeling Elrond knew more about what was going on between them than he led on. But so far the Lord of Imladris had mentioned it to them or anyone else for that matter, and he was grateful about it.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound an opening door. Turning around, he saw Elrond stepping into the hall, his dark robe wrinkled and one of his hands still covered in blood. He also saw a dark smear under his left eye, telling him Elrond had been sweating as he tended to Erestor's injuries.

Glorfindel cringed. He had noticed blood on Erestor's back, and the mantle he had offered him had been stained when Elrond had told Elrohir to usher him out of the room and had absently pushed it into Glorfindel's arms. Obviously, the bleeding was worse than he had suspected. Why else would he have been sweating? It was not that hot during this time of the year, after all.

He walked towards Elrond as fast as he could without breaking into a run. He silently cursed himself for his pacing now, as he could have been on one of the chairs right outside the rooms in which Erestor was currently being supervised by one of Elrond's most trusted Healers. Or at least, Glorfindel hoped so.

"Elrond!" he said, finally reaching his side.

The Peredhel motioned for the other Elf to slow down, and the warrior obeyed his Lord. He sank down rather unceremoniously when Elrond gestured towards the chairs, indicating he would like to take a seat before continuing their conversation. Eager to learn more about the state Erestor was in, Glorfindel decided not to wait for Elrond to start speaking again.

"How is he? Will he be alright?" he asked.

Elrond raised a hand, making him fall quiet again.

"One question at a time, meldir," he said.

Glorfindel nodded. It would take the other Elf some time to explain the extend of Erestor's injuries.

"He is asleep now. I had Elrohir make some tea that will make it easier on him to sleep. His injuries do not permit me to give him anything to assure he sleeps through the night, I am afraid," he admitted.

It pained Glorfindel's heart to hear him say that. Erestor needed to sleep, as it was crucial to his healing process.

"You mean because he is so weak? And because he took quite a few blows to the head?" Glorfindel asked.

Elrond nodded.

"The stronger tea would make him sleep too deeply, we would not be able to notice it if he were to have a concussion. Or even a bleed inside his head. I don't think he does, but at this stage, it would be too dangerous to take too many risks. And we are already taking them by letting him sleep," Elrond sighed.

The warrior briefly closed his eyes. _Damn those vile creatures for what they have done!_ If they would not have been killed by his fellow warriors, he would have taken Asfaloth from the stables and killed them single-handedly.

"What about his other injuries?" Glorfindel wanted to know.

Elrond was silent for a few minutes, as if he was searching for the right words to explain Erestor's condition.

"He had quite some broken bones. His left ankle, both of his wrists, three of his ribs and his pelvis are broken. I have set the ankle, applied a splint to it, and have splinted his wrists as well. His ribs are being supported by bandages, for there is nothing more I can do. They will have to heal on their own. As will the pelvis. Although that last injury will heal most quickly because the breaks are very small," said Elrond.

The golden haired Elf bit his lip. This was all starting to sound more and more atrocious. He was almost afraid of what was to come next, yet he needed to know.

"And the wound to his back?"

A small smile tugged at Elrond's lips at hearing the concern in the other's voice, yet it was quickly dispelled.

"It was a deep cut. He was lucky his spine was not damaged by the knife, yet there are areas where the cut ran almost to the bone. But as long as it does not get infected, it should heal nicely.

That at least was some good news. Elrond had trained the Healers very well, and together he was certain they could prevent any infection arising. This was one less thing to worry about.

But Glorfindel was very much aware that there was something Elrond was not telling him. And that did not please him.

"Meldir, seas... Do not keep things from me. Erestor is my friend, he means as much to me as he does to you. What is it that you are not telling me?" he whispered, looking at his Lord pleadingly.

Elrond sighed, rubbing his face with an unsteady hand. Glorfindel grew even more nervous at the gesture, as it spoke of helplessness and even anger, two emotions the Lord did not usually display.

"Did you notice the state of his clothes when you found him hanging from that tree?" the Lord asked.

Glorfindel looked at him questioningly. Why would something as the state of Erestor's clothes be important in light of what he had been through? But he answered without saying anything about it.

"Aye, I did," the warrior said.

Elrond stared at him, as if the Vanya should have realized something by now. But he had not.

"Then you know what we were afraid had happened to him," Elrond eventually said.

Something clicked at hearing Elrond say those words. His stomach turned, his eyes closed briefly for the second time.

"You were afraid they had... forced him," he whispered, nearly inaudibly.

Elrond nodded his head. He placed a hand on Glorfindel's arm when he saw the war raging inside his friend reflected in the azure orbs staring right into his own.

"Did they?"

His voice was raw, cold. The difference with the tone he had spoken in before could not have been any bigger.

"Nay... There was no evidence that they had. But they were very clearly about to... There were small wounds on his legs where their nails pushed through the skin," Elrond softly said.

He fell silent then. But Glorfindel stared at him, knowing he was not fully done speaking just yet.

"Go on," he urged.

"He might still fade, Glorfindel. What they did, did not so greatly differ from raping him," Elrond finally admitted.

The warrior paled at hearing those words. Elrond squeezed his arm lightly.

"He is strong, meldir. I'm certain he will be alright," he tried to assure Glorfindel.

Glorfindel shook Elrond's hand away. Getting to his feet, he stared at the door Elrond had appeared through.

"Can I go sit with him? I do believe you when you say he'll be alright, but... I just..."

He was lost for words.

"You just need to see him, you want to help him," Elrond finished for him.

Glorfindel nodded. Elrond had managed to say exactly what he had not been able to explain before.

"Aye, you can. I am certain he would like you sitting by his bedside," smiled the Lord.

Getting up, he pushed the door open.

Inside, Elladan en Elrohir stood next to each other. Their faces were turned away from the Elves entering the room, but their whole demeanour spoke volumes: they were tired. Exhausted, even.

Glancing at Elrond, Glorfindel noticed the dark rims beneath his eyes. Elrond was a Healer who used his own life force to heal wounds, and tending to the many injuries Erestor had sustained, it came as no surprise to him that the Lord was drained.

The twins' exhaustion was a bigger surprise. He knew their father had taught them how to reach for the source of life inside of them and use it to tend to other's wounds, but as far as he knew, they had not yet done so.

Apparently, that had changed. He was glad they had wanted to do something as dangerous as this for Erestor. They had saved his life by aiding their father, he was sure of it. And he would make sure to thank them.

Right now, however, he had other worries.

"The three of you look exhausted," the warrior said as he reached the twins.

They spun around, neither one of them having heard the door opening or the Elves stepping inside. The rims under their eyes were lighter than the ones he had seen on their father's face, but only slightly.

The opened their mouths to protest, but Glorfindel raised his hand to stop them.

"It was draining to tend to Erestor like this. You did a marvellous job by the looks of it, and that can't have been easy. Not even with the help of your father. But he is not out of the woods yet, he will need tending to again tomorrow. He needs to be able to count on you. And he cannot do so if you are too tired to remember the names of the herbs he needs," Glorfindel said, fixing them with a glare.

Elrond stepped from behind his friend, placing a hand on both of his sons' shoulders. Glorfindel saw the worry in his eyes as he looked at them, and he realized he was afraid they had given too much of their energy away.

"He is right. We need to sleep to regain our powers. There are still some battles to be fought," he whispered.

Elrohir looked over his shoulder to where Erestor was resting on his bed. They had opted for taking him to his own rooms, as he would not be disturbed by others there and he would be able to recuperate more swiftly.

"I do not wish to leave him alone in here, ada... He needs us," he said, his voice betraying his emotions.

Glorfindel put his hand on Elrohir's free shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"He will not be alone, penn-neth. I will stay with him," he promised.

Elrond looked at him, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of lips. Glorfindel pointedly ignored it, looking at the oldest twin instead.

Elladan seemed grateful that they would be able to get some sleep soon. He looked as white and tired as his father. Maybe he had passed more of his energy to his father than his twin had, as he was the eldest.

"Then I think I can handle leaving him. He will be in good hands," Elrohir smiled.

Glorfindel could not help but smile back at the Peredhel. Elrohir had always been closest to Erestor, and Elladan had found his company more tempting.

Without another word, Elrond began to lead his sons out of the room. The warrior looked at their backs until they had disappeared into the hall.

Glorfindel sighed, lowering himself onto a chair after having pulled it as close to the Advisor's bed as was possible.

Giving into temptation, he pushed a strand of wayward hair back behind the dark haired Elf's ear.

"Don't you dare fade, Erestor. Don't you dare, do you hear me? I need you..." he whispered, hoping he was somehow getting through to Erestor. But the other Elf did not respond. 

**A/N: Here are some translations again. Let me know if I missed anything!**

**Aye = Yes****  
><strong>**onone = Sister****  
><strong>**ada = daddy****  
><strong>**naneth = Mother****  
><strong>**Predhel= Half-Elf****  
><strong>**Peredhil = Half-Elves  
>Penn-neth = Young one<strong>**  
><strong> 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The third chapter is up! And we are moving along a little, so those of you who are waiting for some romance will soon be rewarded for their patience! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones!**

**Disclaimer: Tolkien owns it all. I am only allowed to borrow his amazing characters.**

**3**

Erestor had now been locked up in his rooms for almost two weeks. The wound on his back had almost completely disappeared, only bleeding a little when he moved to quickly, and his pelvis no longer burned as much when he turned onto his side or back.

But he was far from healed, and he knew it. He did not need Elrond to remind him to take it slowly to realize there was a long road to walk.

His wrists were still splinted, which made it impossible to hold anything. He had to rely on other for every single task he wished to undertake. When he wanted to drink something, or eat something, he had to wait until Elrond, his sons or Glorfindel were present to help him.

And the same went for dressing himself. Luckily, he would be helped into his nightwear by Glorfindel. And in the morning, he would be able to count on him whenever he was not out on patrol.

_As always you are a burden to others_, came the small voice in his head.

"Nay, I am not!" he responded aloud.

The first time the voice had spoken to him, when he had woken for the first time the day after he had been attacked and had been helped to drink some water by Glorfindel, he had been petrified. The coldness of it had chilled his very soul.

The memory of what Glorfindel had done when he had noticed his distress, suddenly washed over him.

"_Erestor? Erestor, are you alright?" the warrior had asked._

_He had shuddered at hearing the concern in Glorfindel's voice. It had reminded him the Elf had cared for him after he had found him, making him well aware of the feelings he had been harbouring for him for three whole centuries._

"_Amin..."_

_He had wanted to say he was alright, but he could not force the words out of his mouth. It was as if his throat was constricting, making it impossible to do anything else than breathe._

_Glorfindel had softy placed a hand on his shoulder. The touch had been light, barely noticeable. He had been glad for that, because Glorfindel was giving him the possibility to shake his hand away._

_And he should have wanted to, after what had happened. But he had found he found too much comfort in the simple gesture._

"_You are not okay, meldir. Please, tell me what is wrong. I would like to be able to help you," Glorfindel had said._

_Erestor had slumped. He could not tell Glorfindel about that little voice he had just heard. He would think he was losing his mind!_

_But lying to someone as important to him as the warrior was not an option either. So he had opted for not telling the entire truth._

"_I am tired. I keep seeing their faces every time I close my eyes," he had whispered._

_And that was true. He had been knocked out by fatigue, helped by the tea he had been given. But the memories were so strong they even made their way into his dreams, and although the warrior had chased them away with his soothing voice when he noticed Erestor was losing his battle against them, his sleep had not been restful, for they had returned very quickly._

_He had noticed the concern in his friend's eyes at hearing that._

"_Amin hiraetha... I hoped I had been able to sooth them away," he had said._

_Erestor had pulled Glorfindel's hand from his shoulder and held onto it tightly as he continued the conversation._

"_You did. But they came back so soon that I was unable to rest much," he had softly said._

'_Fin had taken that opportunity to intertwine their fingers. And again, the fear he should have felt at being touched, did not come. Erestor had been able to draw strength from the simple gesture._

_It had made him stare at their hands instead of at Glorfindel's face, at least for some time._

"_Mayhap you should try to sleep some more then," he had said._

_Erestor had dreaded that sentence, for he was afraid that the memories would pull him down again. The sea of fear was not a calm one, and he was certain he would be pulled down immediately._

_The blonde Elda had noticed his fear. Instead of being repulsed by the knowledge those creatures had touched his skin, had been able to make him screamin agony, there had only been support in Glorfindel's eyes when Erestor had finally dared to look up at him._

"_Do not worry. I will be near," he had said._

_He had expected the voice to have a response to that, but it had remained silent. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that Glorfindel still had a hold on his hand and was squeezing it comfortingly._

_And Erestor had fallen asleep soon after, his fingers still laced with 'Fin's._

Sometimes he thought that it was the golden haired Elf's presence that made the voice turn quiet. Because when Glorfindel was there, it never spoke. When Elrond or the twins were by his side, the voice still rumbled in the back of his mind many times.

And the occurrence was becoming a lot more frequent, he had noticed the last two days. Where he had heard it once the first day, now he was hearing it around five times a day. And it weren't single sentences anymore, it were conversations sometimes.

The subject of those small conversations had also changed. At first, it had been reminders of the pain he had been suffering. Things as 'Does your wrist still bother you' just when he was distracted enough to nearly forget about it had changed into 'Aren't you disgusted with yourself for always being a burden?' and 'Were you a burden from birth, or did you become one later on in life?'

He shuddered at the recollection.

All of a sudden there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he rasped.

For some reason, probably that he had cried out in pain so much when he had been tortured by the Uruk-Hai, he had woken up to a soar and hoarse throat.

But instead of the hoarseness and soreness leaving him within a day, as was normal for an Elf, he was still experiencing it a good ten days after the attack. Elrond and his sons had yet to find the reason for it.

_You're just too damn weak to heal_, huffed the voice.

He wanted to wince, but as his door was being pushed open, he fought against the urge. He did not want anyone to know what was happening. They would declare him mad if they found out!

There was but one way to deal with this, and that was to find some means of distracting himself.

Staring at the person entering, he noticed it was Elladan who would be tending to his wounds first. He was pleased to certain extend. The eldest of the Peredhil twins had a steady hand, worked quickly and efficiently and seemed to pick up on his unease at being touched for too long more quickly than his brother or father.

But on the other hand, he had hoped it would have been Glorfindel who was to come and see him first. The Vanya managed to calm him with naught but a few words, and he was more at ease around him than around the others.

"Quel re, meldir," Elladan greeted his father's Chief Advisor.

The Noldo smiled, although it was more forced than it had ever been. Elladan, however, ignored it.

"Quel re, penn-neth. Did you have a good night?" he asked.

It was the same question he had asked the boys since the first day he had helped them getting dressed in the morning to enable their parents to combine their duties with their family life.

"I slept rather well," Elladan smiled.

The slid the tray he had come in with onto the Advisor's lap. There was rosehip tea, toast, strawberries and some cheese.

"Is that all for me?" Erestor asked.

Elladan pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Aye, it is. I already ate," he explained.

Erestor stared at the food. Before, he would have easily cleared the tray. It was a healthy, normal breakfast. Something he had had almost every morning since he had been old enough for it.

But because of the pain in his throat, he ate a lot less these days. And the prospect of eating all of the food was not at all a tempting one. And he had discovered that first day that he did not need to eat that much to get through the day.

When he noticed Elladan staring at him, he mentally chided himself.

"It seems a lot for just me," he told him.

But Elladan shook his head quite decisively.

"It is not. You need to finish it. It will help you regain the strength you need to help your other injuries to heal," he sternly told the older Elf.

It was obvious he would not be taking no for an answer. The knowledge he would have to stuff that toast and the berries in his mouth, made his stomach turn. The nausea he had felt every time they put some food near him, was rearing its ugly head again.

He was unsure what he should to about it. The herbs he had been given before had not been very effective. And he dreaded the thought of gulping down even more herbs with water.

He eventually opted for telling Elladan about the nausea. Mayhap that would excuse him when he did not clear the tray. And there was always a chance of not having to take the herbs.

"I'm afraid my stomach is still not fully well. I have the feeling I might have to vomit if I ate too much," he whispered.

_And you do not want to burden the young one any further by having him clean your rooms, now, do you?_ Bit the voice.

_No, I do not,_ he mentally responded.

And the voice was gone again, apparently happy with what he had said.

Now that he came to think of it, he had quickly figured out that the voice would keep silent if he agreed with it. But when he did not, it would keep bullying him until he caved, which usually was when he could barely bite back the tears.

And although he was an Elf who desired solitude frequently, more frequently than any other inhabitant in Imladris, he was not one to cry easily. If he were, he would have cried himself to sleep every night for the past three hundred years.

Instead of shedding tears, he would allow himself to indulge in fantasies of what might be if he were able to catch the Seneschal's eye.

_But you have shed tears, on more than one occasion, even. When the fantasies were no longer strong enough to sustain you,_ the voice quickly supplied.

He balled his fist beneath the cover, not wanting Elladan to notice anything. His face did not betray his emotions.

It was true. More than once, he had succumbed when he returned to his chambers after yet another long and tiring day only to find them empty. There was no-one waiting for him, no Elf that would wrap his arms around him and hold him when he felt burdened beneath his duties, or who would simply let him rant. Or someone he could hold when that person did not feel well, or who could rant with him listening closely.

_And you desperately want Glorfindel to be the one to take that role, do you not?_ Came the voice.

As always, the voice was right. And that made it even harder to ignore its words. He longed for the day he would push the door open and be greeted by his scent, being able to bury his head in the blond hair, press close to him on the bed or watch him sleep.

He could never have the warrior, though. 'Fin was known for spending time with all of the Elves who lived in Imladris, but not many managed to get his personal attention. During all of the years he had spent in the valley, there had only been three Elves that had gotten inside his bedroom.

What had transpired there, however, he did not know. And neither did Elrond, he was certain of it.

Elladan chose that moment to interrupt the dark thoughts.

"Eat as much as you can meldir. We'll see how far we get. Agreed?" he said.

Erestor could see the worry in Elladan's eyes. It nearly made him want to become invisible. Elladan should be with his brother and father, not worrying about him. He was not worth the trouble.

He had tried to tell Elrond that, but he had been fixed with a glare and told that he was very much worth the trouble.

Him shaking his head and telling the Half-Elf that there were more important matters to attend to, he would get better on his own had not helped at all. Elrond had decided to remind him that he had been a part of his household for 5000 years, he had already stood beside him for a thousand years before the twins had been born. Why then should he not tend to his wounds himself?

He had given up at that moment, as Elrond Half-Elven had been displaying his usual stubbornness again. And he had long ago learned that he would not listen to anyone then, not even his own Chief Advisor whose wisdom he craved during meeting and when he dealt with the rulers of the other Elven Realms.

Realizing his thoughts had taken over yet again and that he had not answered that question Elladan has asked, he mentally cursed himself.

"Agreed," he said.

Actually, he was not at all agreed to eating as much as he could. He was certain the Peredhel would find a way to convince him to eat more when he said he was full, as he and his twin always had their way.

"Very well. Why don't you start with the berries? They are softer than the toast, they are light enough. And they contain many elements that are essential to your healing," Elladan said.

_At least he is right about the fact the berries will be somewhat easier on my throat,_ Erestor mused.

"That sounds alright to me," he told the younger Elf.

Elladan did not waste any time anymore, lifting a strawberry to his former teacher's lips. Erestor opened up, fighting the urge to close his eyes so he would not have to look into Elladan's eyes and see the fatigue, the repulsion at having to deal with him day after day. So he focussed on his hand, and when it moved upwards, he made sure to focus on the berry.

He would have no choice but to look into his eyes later, as Elladan had made him do so every time he had tended to him so far, and he was sure he would not be making an exception today.

He carefully bit down when the red fruit was pushed past his teeth, making sure he would not bite into the digits holding the food by accident. Forcing his muscles to relax as much as he could, he managed to swallow in manner which was not too convulsive.

The action was repeated too many times to count. Or maybe he was just too tired to count. Or mayhap, and this was most likely, he just did not care anymore how much food was forced down his throat.

"No more, please," he whispered when his stomach began to truly warn him it would not be long before he would be vomiting if he ate any more.

The hands stilled. Knowing he would see despair in the dark eyes, he did not look up, but stared at his own hands.

"If you are certain," sighed Elladan.

It surprised him the younger Elf did not pressure him to eat at least a piece of the toast, or a few more strawberries. But he was glad about the chance, and he was not about to ask what had brought it on in fear of having to eat more.

When he did not say anything, Elladan asked another question.

"Would you let he have a look at the wound on your back now that you've finished eating?" Elladan asked.

Erestor had known that question would come. His brother, father, Glorfindel and Elladan all did the same thing: asking him permission for whatever they were about to do next. It was both a very welcome gesture as an unwelcome one, depending who was asking it.

When the twins or their father did, it was a very unwelcome question. Because he would have to lie and tell them he did not mind them proceeding, when in fact he would like nothing more than for them to stop. He had told them so on two occasions, and they had respected the fact he had needed a break. But only an hour later, they had been back.

When Glorfindel asked him, though, it was a welcome question. He did not mind the warrior tending to his wounds as much, for some reason. And Glorfindel usually allowed him to decide when he was ready to let him touch him again. Which was the most important reason why he liked being cared for by Glorfindel better than the others tending to him.

Well, if he were to be completely honest, he would have to admit that was a lie. He liked Glorfindel around better, because he was in love with the warrior.

The memory of Elladan questioning him about his feelings for the warrior suddenly came to mind.

"_Erestor!" Elladan's happy voice had cried as he had stepped inside._

_He had been very surprised at not finding the youngest twin turning to him to help him into his daywear, but he was pleased to be able to spend some time with him as well. And by the young one's choice._

"_Quel re, Elladan. Did you sleep well?" he had asked, taking a hold of the clothes the little one had given him._

_Raising his hands, Elladan had nodded._

"_Yes, I did. Did you?" he had questioned._

_As he had not been expecting that, he had been taking aback a little._

"_I did, penn-neth. Thank you very much," he had smiled as he pushed the tunic he had been handed before over the Elfling's head._

_When his head had appeared again, free from the fabric, Elladan had looked at him._

"_Can I ask you a question?" he had asked, biting his lower lip as he always did when he was nervous._

"_Aye, penn-neth, you can," the Chief Advisor had smiled, finding his nervousness endearing._

_Elladan had lifted his legs to step into his leggings first, and had then lifted his chin with his small hand._

"_Why does Glorfindel smile so often when he looks at you?" he had asked._

_Erestor had been silent for a few seconds, but had then found his answer._

"_Because we are friends, penn-neth," he had smiled._

But that evening, he had spent three hours pacing his rooms in order to figure out whether he had given the right answer. As a teacher and their father's Chief Advisor, he owed them that much, after all.

He had thought about everything he and 'Fin had done throughout the years, the conversations they had had. He had recalled them as if it had only been yesterday.

In the end, he had decided that they were good friends. Very good friends. Nothing more or less.

And at that time, he had not yet held any love for Glorfindel in his hearts. Those feelings had taken many more years to develop, and it had taken him even longer to find the courage to admit to himself he had lost his heart to the golden haired Elf.

"Erestor?" came Elladan's voice.

Although Erestor was not one to curse easily, he almost did just that. He was not an Elf who normally allowed his take the better him, and this was the second time today that he had let it happen.

"Do I have to?" he muttered, just loud enough for Elladan to hear.

He looked up when Elladan lifted his chin much as he had done in the memory that he had revisited before.

"You do not. You know that. But will you let me?" he questioned.

Silently acknowledging defeat, he nodded and waited for Elladan to slowly push the black fabric of his daywear away from his shoulders.

The air was cool as it hit the now exposed skin. Goosebumps appeared on his arms, yet he was not going to complain. After ten days of experiencing this cold, he was not longer as perceptive to it as he had been that first day.

Because the fact he was now almost constantly cold had become rather obvious very quickly. Sometimes the chill would leave him when he wrapped the blankets closer around him, even thought it was almost impossible to do so. Most of the time, however, there was no way to escape it.

And he refused to be forced to take any more herbs, as he wanted to take as few of them as possible. They seemed to irritate his throat even more, causing additional pain. If that made any sense. Most of the time they did not seem to do their job as well as they should as well, as Elrond had been pointing out since the second day.

Because although the wound on his back had started to get better and had almost completely disappeared by now, it was the only injury that was showing any signs of doing so.

"Lay down on your stomach for me, meldir, seas," Elladan asked.

Erestor managed to keep his face devoid of emotion until he was facing away from Elladan, but his pelvis had apparently decided to play up again today. Burying his face in the mattress whilst making sure he did not put any pressure on his wrist, he prayed to the Valar they would take the pain away before he was to turn onto his back again.

He felt how the Elladan cut the bandage open with his knife and pull them away from underneath his form instead of making things more difficult by making him turn so he could remove them in a more conventional way, which he was glad about. It at least gave him a chance to get some breathe before he was to change positions again.

"It would seem the wound has completely closed. I will not be redressing your back, as I do not think it will be necessary. I will speak with my father to make sure of it when I see him later, though," he said.

Erestor was pleased. This meant there would be a lot less probing and probing to endure. He hoped Elrond would agree with his sons and not come by later to put some bandages in place just to make sure there was no unnecessary risk being taken.

"Would you let me check how your pelvis is progressing? If I may?" Elladan asked.

It was obvious he had not hidden his pain as well as he had hoped he had before. He should have remembered Elladan was very perceptive, he had known it since the first time he had taught the boy.

Sighing, he replied.

"You may have a look at it," he said.

Elladan slipped the lose fitting pants down a little, beginning to apply pressure as he let his hand wander over the bones he was looking at.

Erestor hissed as he pressed down onto a small patch of skin on the very right side of the bone. He could not help it, the pain there was simply too much to bear now that he was feelings so bad already.

"My father will have to check that out. I'm afraid one of those small fractures he detected when he first examined you has grown worse because we had to continue to bandage your back. But the other five fractures seem to have healed, as he predicted," Elladan remarked.

Erestor breathed in and out deeply once more, willing away the pain.

"My right side... is the dominant... Mayhap... I put too... much pressure on it," he said, every part of his sentence but the last broken by small gasps of breath.

Elladan pushed the chair back against the wall now. Erestor noticed the worry in his eyes, and wished he could take it away, could convince him that things would be just fine.

He picked up the tray again, and Erestor knew he would hand it over to another Elf once he stepped into the hall, asking him or her to take it to the kitchen so he would not have to.

"Do not worry about it too much, meldir," he suggested. "I know it is painful, but my father will be here shortly. I am certain that he will be able to make you feel better. If not alone, than with some help from my side or my brother's."

But the only thing going through Erestor's mind was that he did not want Elrond or anyone else to touch him. Whenever or wherever. He just wanted to be left alone, as had been the case since he had woken up and they had been all over him. He had felt crowded for far too long now, and he needed time to think about everything that he had been through. He wanted to be able to search his memories for the reason why the Uruk-Hai had come for him and had tortured him.

_But that is yet another lie,_ said the voice. _For you want Glorfindel near you. Helping you to find the reason why this has happened. Comforting you. Bringing peace to you._

And that was true.

**The translations! Let me know if I missed anything!**

**Meldir = Friend  
>Nay = No<br>Amin = I  
><strong>**Amin hiraetha = I am sorry****  
><strong>**Quel re, meldir= Good day, friend****  
><strong>**Quel re, penn-neth = Good day, young one**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is chapter four! To all of my fateful readers and reviewers: I love all of you for making my day each and every time! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. Wish I did, though...**

**4**

Glorfindel was extremely tired, more tired than he had ever been in his entire life.

He had just come home after a three week long patrol. Normally the longest he would be out was one week, as he would detach parties to tend to the Southern, Western and Northern borders and would search for trouble in the East himself.

But this time, they had encountered a band of Orcs and Uruk-Hai very close to the Southern border. One of his warriors who had been with the group going north had ridden out to meet him on his way east, as their numbers had required him to do see. A group of ten Elves was no party to a band of more than sixty Orcs.

Knowing he did not have the time to reach more of his warriors, Glorfindel had chosen to ride north immediately. If they waited too long, the Orcs would be able to sneak past the borders, or the ten Elves who were there would have no choice but to deal with them themselves. And that could lead to a lot of wounded and dead Elves.

By the time they had arrived, it had already been too late, though. Two Elves had been dead on the ground, others had been wounded and a third had been slain before his very eyes.

Luckily, one word had been enough for his warriors to spring into action. They had whirled between the beasts, ending every one of their cursed lives with one swift stroke of their swords or knives.

Not having a choice, he and his men had tended to the wounded before piling the bodies onto a bunch of wood and setting it afire. With four wounded men in the group and six horses having been killed in the attack, it had taken somewhat longer to make their way to the Eastern border and make their way back.

So that was why he was covered in blood, and tired to the bone.

But he was not in bed as he had dreamt to be right now. He had had to report on the sighting and what had happened after that. Elrond needed to know so they would, so they would be able to prevent the Orcs and Uruk-Hai from getting any closer to the Last Homely House.

But instead of being able to retire, Elrond had demanded him to stay a little longer. He had said there was a matter concerning Erestor that they needed to address as soon as possible. Which was why he was asking his next question now.

"What is it about Erestor that needs our immediate attention? Has he not improved as we hoped he would have by now?" he asked.

Elrond touched the tips of his fingers together, his elbows resting on the wooden surface of his desk.

"I am afraid that is indeed what I am trying to tell you," Elrond said.

Glorfindel rubbed his face. Someone who had no known him as long as Elrond had, might have mistaken it for a gesture of fatigue, but in reality, it was one of great worry. An emotion not many had seen in the blond Elda's eyes.

"Then what is it? The breaks? Or the wound on his back? Both?" he asked, thinking that was the worst thing that could be happening to Erestor right now.

He lowered his hands again, catching the other Elf's gaze as he breathed in and out a few times to steady his obviously raging nerves. His trembling hand had given him away long before Glorfindel had caught his gaze and noticed the distress that had claimed him reflected there. And instead of saying anything more, he was now staring at his own knees.

He was just about to prompt Elrond to continue their conversation, convince him that his nerves would fade as soon as he told him what was ailing him, when Elrond shook his head a little and stared into Glorfindel's eyes again. Tears were present there, threatening to spill.

"He is fading," he choked out.

For a second, Glorfindel was at a loss for words. Even though Elrond had warned him this might happen, the knowledge that it was happening right now still felt like a slap in the face.

"But when I last saw him, he was doing so much better than we could have ever expected! He was eating, he was no longer bleeding from the wound on his back, and he had managed to catch some sleep!" the warrior exclaimed.

Elrond sighed, a clear indication to Glorfindel he had been expecting to hear him say that.

He suppressed the urge the growl in frustration, instead waiting for Elrond to tell him what had brought about this change.

"It all changed week after you had left. There were some small things at first that caught our attention. He ate a little less at every meal, but made sure to keep the change unnoticed for a long time. He did the same with the water that we gave him, or the tea. He complained when I checked his wrists, telling me to return later. But instead of allowing me to tend to his wounds later, as he would normally do, he sent me away again. He refused to let us bathe him. He said he would not be taking any herbs anymore, but did not want to explain why. And then, he refused to speak to us anymore. He had not said a word for over a week," Elrond explained.

This was a dire situation. Glorfindel was well aware of it. Erestor's body was sure to have grown weak after more than a week of denying himself the food and water that he needed. That he was not taking any herbs at all anymore, was another thing that would have halted his recovery.

But the worst thing was that he was not speaking to anyone anymore. He was bearing all of his pain, the nightmares and his memories on his own, without anyone to help him shoulder the burden.

"And nothing you have done has helped?" he asked.

Elrond shook his head.

"I have pleaded with him. Ordered him to take his herbs. Told him he had too many Elves who care about him to want to give up. I even almost threatened to leave him to himself, but that it exactly what he wants," the Lord sighed.

Glorfindel pondered that for a moment. It seemed Elrond had exploited every option he had, trying to persuade him in every way he had been able to think off. This could not be happening! There had to be something that the Half-Elf had not thought off. But Glorfindel could not come up with that solution himself.

"Does this mean we are going to lose him?" he asked.

He had wanted to ask 'Does this mean I am going to lose him?', but he had managed to change the 'I' to 'We' just in time. It wouldn't do to make Elrond even more aware of his feelings for his Chief Advisor than he probably already was.

"I'm afraid so..." Elrond said, his voice barely audible.

Losing control, Glorfindel pushed himself off of his chair. Angered, he slammed his fist into the wall. Turning around, he saw anguish and a hint of something else in his friend's eyes. He was not telling him everything.

And Glorfindel was not having it.

"Tell me what you're hiding," he demanded.

His hand was throbbing, but he did not really notice. He was not one to become angry easily, but he had needed the pain he had caused himself mere seconds ago to ground himself.

"There is one thing that could safe him. One gift that could keep him with us. But only if he is willing to accept the gift," Elrond admitted.

That was some good news at least. The only part that would not be so very easy to accomplish, would be to get Erestor to accept the gift they would bestow upon him.

"Explain, please," Glorfindel asked, leaning against the wall.

He could hear Elrond shifting a little in his own chair, obviously nervous about what he was about to say next.

"Love," he eventually said.

Glorfindel turned around, looking at the dark haired Elf again. There was an unspoken question in the blonde's eyes.

"If you can find someone who loves Erestor for everything he was, is and will ever be, who loves him more than life itself and who will do whatever it takes to convince him he is speaking the truth, Erestor will survive. Because if that Elf were to bind with him, it would give him whatever strength he needs," Elrond explained.

Blinking a few times, Glorfindel took in the words.

"But Erestor does not have a lover," was what he said next.

Elrond chook his head sadly.

"Indeed he does not. So there is no-one to bind with him and save him. He is lost, Glorfindel," Elrond whispered.

Tears were starting to blur his vision as he realized Elrond was telling the truth. No love meant no life.

_But you love him, you fool!_ He suddenly told himself.

He was taken aback a bit by the fierceness of the words. And by the truth of them, if he had to be completely honest.

Realizing he needed time to think about all of this, he managed to get a grip on himself. He needed to get to his own chambers to do some thinking. And to be able to do that, he had to find an excuse to get rid of Elrond without the Half-Elf knowing he was trying to do so.

"I need some time to...get my head around this," he eventually said. "Would you mind if I returned to my room? And tonight, I will visit with him. I should take up my place by his bedside again."

Elrond was obviously reluctant to let the warrior go. But he waved at him non-the-less.

"I understand. Please, do retreat. And rest assured I will take care of him until you come to see him."

That last sentence had Glorfindel convinced the Peredhel would not be seeking out his company. That meant he had an entire day to get a grip on his feelings, see whether they were as pure as he would like to believe they were, and to see whether he would be able to help Erestor.

As he walked through the halls, he noticed some rosemary growing outside one of the windows. As he bend down, he collected some of it, holding it carefully in his hands.

_This is a herb used in binding ceremonies. Does this mean I have made up my mind already?_ He questioned himself as he continued his walk to his chambers in a slightly faster way.

"No, I have not yet decided what I will be doing. It is merely my warrior's instincts, telling me to be prepared for whatever decision I might make later," he told himself out loud.

At that moment, he reached the doors to his rooms. Pushing them open, he realized he should have been more careful. Somebody could have heard him, which might have made for a whole lot of rumours going round in Imladris.

Closing the doors behind him, Glorfindel undid the broach keeping his mantle in place. If he kept it on, he would grow too hot. And what he really needed in order to be able to think, was to be comfortable.

Letting his gaze drift across room, his eye fell on his small, wooden bedside table. It would make for a great place to deposit the rosemary.

Feeling tired, Glorfindel allowed himself to drop onto the bed. It was as good a place to think as any other he could think of, both inside the Last Homely House or outside it. And one that was warmer than any other, too.

_Because I have to admit I am tired after three weeks of sleeping on the ground with no roof above my head,_ he admitted.

By no rights should he be this tired, it dawned on him a second later. Elves loved the outdoors, they were not made to live in a house made of stone and be cut off from the stars and the free air.

Pushing himself somewhat more upright, he began to unlace his boots. If he was going to let his thoughts wonder down the road of whether or not his love for Erestor was strong enough to bind with him, he figured he should at least be warm and comfortable, as he would have a long road ahead of him.

Kicking his boots away without caring where they ended up, he fell back onto the mattress. Curling up on his side, he relished in the feeling of the covers settling own around him.

"And now, think," he ordered himself.

His mind was foggy, he greatly desired to simply allow sleep to claim him. But he knew if he did, it would be hours before he woke again. He needed those hours, more than he actually wanted to admit.

"This decision should be easy... Then why is it not?" he questioned himself aloud.

But he knew why. It was because he was afraid.

Yes, the golden warrior was afraid. And to his own surprise not below admitting that, albeit to no other than himself. He was afraid that Erestor would not return his feelings, and that he would be losing the friendship they had built over the years. And there was no way he would be able to deal with that.

On the other hand, he knew the only way to prevent Erestor from fading was to confess his love for him. Because he could not allow Erestor to fade.

That would be the death of him.

Glorfindel turned onto his other side so that he was now facing the window. He noticed the sun had reached her place for midday. He had six hours left before Elrond would leave Erestor in search of something for the ebony haired Elf to eat. Six hours left to list the pros and cons.

_I hope that is enough,_ he thought. _Because I will only get one chance. I cannot be wrong..._

Turning onto his other side for the second time in less than ten minutes, he sighed one last time before beginning his trip down memory lane.

When he finally excited his rooms six hours later, he had made up his mind. He was certain he was doing the right thing.

He was going to bind with Erestor. Tonight. As soon as he had managed to get Elrond out of Erestor's rooms and had made sure no-one would be able to enter as long as he was busy.

And of course, he would have to convince Erestor he was sincere.

But he had devised a plan. It was not fail prove, but it was a good plan non-the-less. So he would see where it got him.

Rounding a corner he found himself in the corridor where Erestor's rooms were located. As he has suspected, he was Elrond closing the door behind him, a servant already waiting for him in the halls.

His voice was soft when he spoke, but Glorfindel could still clearly hear his request to bring up some food for Erestor, although he reminded the young elleth to enter the room. She was to hand the platter to him instead, and leave him to it. He would bring the platter down to the kitchen later that evening.

Glorfindel realized he had just been offered a chance. He pulled the bundle he was holding more closely to him. Quickly making his way towards the two Elves, he interrupted their conversation.

"Actually, there is no need to miss yet another meal with you people, hír nîn. Why do you not allow me to tend to Erestor tonight? It would do you a world of good to have some company, have a normal evening again," he said.

Elrond turned towards him, surprise clearly evident in his eyes. But there was also a hint of gratitude in them. The last weeks, he had had to deal with all of his correspondence himself, missing many a meal with his children and the other Elves he enjoyed having close. He was very pleased at the prospect of making a change to that, Glorfindel could see.

"Hannon lle, meldir. I have spent far too little time with my children as of late," he said, smiling.

Glorfindel bowed his head lightly before turning his attention to the young She-Elf still standing beside them.

"You may bring the tray to me. Do not worry about collecting it later. As our Lord was planning to do, I will return it to the kitchen as soon as he has eaten," Glorfindel reassured her.

She looked between the two. Only when Elrond nodded in agreement to Glorfindel's suggestion did she make for the kitchen.

Elrond chose that moment to focus on him again.

"I am glad he still has you to count on," he said.

Glorfindel was worried at hearing the tone in which Elrond spoke those words.

"You are not giving up on him, are you?" he questioned.

Elrond shook his head.

"Nay. He is strong. But I cannot deny I fear for him," he admitted.

This settled Glorfindel's nerves a little.

For a few moments, they were silent. Glorfindel was worried that if he spoke to Elrond, he might figure out what his plan was. What made his friend this quiet, was worry as well, but of a different sort.

Luckily, the young She-Elf returned quickly.

"I chose some soft foods, as always. I hope he will enjoy his meal," she said.

Instead of saying anything, Elrond waved his hand to indicate she could leave now. Glorfindel was glad about that, as it meant he would be alone to carry out his plans somewhat sooner.

She bowed, leaving them standing alone in the hall. Glorfindel turned his attention towards his friend.

"I should leave," the Lord said. "Else I will be late for dinner."

Glorfindel nodded, putting a hand on his arm.

"You are right, mellon nîn. And do not fret. I will keep watch over him. He will be safe. There is no need to return here. You should indeed spend some time with those precious children of yours, as you mentioned before," he said.

Elrond eyed him, cocking a brow in surprise. Although he was very carefully trying to hide it, there was some suspicion in his gaze as well.

Knowing he needed to erase that suspicion, Glorfindel added.

"I merely wish to spend some time by his side, Elrond. I've been away for the past three weeks, and I feel I should make up for that somehow."

It was not a complete lie. Even if he would not have decided to bind himself and Erestor tonight, he would still have come. It was true he felt guilty for abandoning him now that he needed him most.

A smile tugged at Elrond's lips. He was obviously pleased with the warrior's answer. But there was something else as well, something the golden haired Elf could not name. Or mayhap did not dare to name.

"I shall leave you to it then," said Elrond.

And without saying anything more, he walked away.

Glorfindel shook his head. That Elf usually was as easy to read as the simplest of books, yet could also be a walking enigma sometimes!

Resting his hand on the doorknob, he took one last deep, steadying breath before pushing it open.

The sight greeting him was not a beautiful one.

Erestor was paler than he had thus far seen him. His eyes were almost like dark holes against his creamy complexion. The rims underneath them were testimony to many sleepless nights. His lips were more bleu than pink, which told him how cold the Advisor must be. And he barely had any more colour than the white linen he was covered by.

_He looks more like the living death than like an Elf full of life, as he should,_ Glorfindel mused as he approached the bed.

Sinking down, he took a hold of one of the Noldo's hands.

"Erestor?" he asked.

There was no reaction. The dark orbs, although open, did not do as much as blink to acknowledge he had spoken. There was no small squeeze to tell him his arrival had been noticed, not a word that left his bleu lips.

"Erestor?" he tried a second time.

But the dark haired Elf remained as motionless as he had been before.

Opting to use a different approach, Glorfindel opened his mind and reached out to Erestor.

_Erestor?_ He asked, a third time.

He knew the Elf had remained soundless, but in his mind, he could hear his startled gasp for air.

_Did you not notice me arriving?_ He asked, wanting to get some sort of normal conversation going.

_I did not,_ came the weak reply.

That was not a good thing. Erestor was not paying any attention to his surrounding, he was too caught up in Námo's call to be the perceptive Elf he had been before.

_It does not matter,_ Glorfindel brushed the three words aside. _However, I do hope you will give me some attention now that I have managed to make my presence known. I wish to speak to you about something._

It was a bold move, but he hoped he would be able to spark some curiosity in Erestor by changing their topic so drastically.

It worked.

_What is it you would like to discuss?_ Came the question.

Glorfindel squeezed the hand he still held in his.

_I found a way to save you,_ he admitted.

The Noldo snorted.

_Who says I want to be saved? I'm tired, Glorfindel. Can't you see that? I have fought so hard, but I can't do it anymore... Every day I lose so much strength that even keeping my eyes open seems to ask too much energy..._

Glorfindel had not expected Erestor to admit any of that. But this gave him something to work with, and he would grasp the opportunity.

_And you think I have not seen it? I see it every time I look at you! Some say that the eyes are the mirror to the soul. That is true for some, but it applies perfectly to you... I can see Námo's call in your eyes. I see how you try to hold on, but fail..._

He fell silent again, rubbing the knuckles on the hand he was holding now that he felt Erestor's distress rising through their connection.

_But I can stop it, Erestor. I can stop it! I can give you the strength you so desperately need. But you need to let me._

_How? How can you do such a thing?_ The Noldo wanted to know.

Glorfindel's eyes darted to the bundle he had dropped onto the bedside table. He could not lie. So he spoke the truth.

_I would bind the two of us,_ he admitted.

Surprise flooded into his mind through their bond. Whatever Erestor had expected, it was obvious he had not thought of this.

_You can't do that! You cannot!_ Erestor replied as vehemently as he could.

_And why can I not, my dear Erestor?_ He asked.

It was hard to focus on anything but the panic, mingled with disbelieve, that rose inside Erestor. If he had been any less certain of his love for the Chief Advisor, or would have had an any less stronger mind, he would have succumbed. As it was, he kept radiating a warm, calm feeling.

_You do not love me,_ replied the dark haired Elf.

Glorfindel had expected that. This was the tricky part of the situation. If he screwed up here, he would lose Erestor forever.

_That is where you are wrong, Erestor. I have loved you for over three hundred years._

There was naught but silence in answer to his question. Through his connection, he felt the hope his statement had inspired in Erestor, as well as the fear that accompanied it.

_You... You... What? I mean..._ Erestor was desperately trying to say something.

Glorfindel cut him off. There was no time to lose. He moved the hand he had been holding between his to his chest, placing it right above his heart.

_I know you don't want to believe me. But I speak the truth. My heart belongs to you, beats for you. That love can save you. But only if you let it. Only if you allow me to bind with you._

There were a few seconds of silence again, before Erestor managed to formulate a coherent sentence.

_I need to know why, 'Fin. I need to hear the reason, or reasons._

It was a simple request. And so Glorfindel obliged.

_I love you for who you were. That Elf with dark clothes who was so insecure and blushed whenever he was around me. The Elf who surprised me time and again with his knowledge and his passion for whatever and whoever he loved. I love you for who you are, still that passionate Elf, but now with a larger burden to carry, without giving in. A valued friend who is no longer afraid to smile around me, and who can make me smile no matter what day I've had. And I love who you are going to be. An Elf who will defeat his demons. Who will let love conquer all. As fearless as he had ever been, and more passionate than before._

Tears were streaming down Erestor's face. Yet they were not tears of sadness, but tears of joy.

_You really mean that... I can feel it through our connection. You really mean that..._ he whispered.

Glorfindel covered the hand he was holding against his heart with his second hand.

_Indeed I do. So will you let me do this? Will you let me save you?_ He asked.

All of the turmoil was gone when Erestor spoke anew.

_Yes,_ he replied simply.

Glorfindel smiled.

_Then let us get started,_ he said.

He released Erestor's hand. Extending his now free hand, he grabbed a hold of the bundle he had dropped onto the bedside table before. Opening it, he extracted two candles, a bowl made of clay, a small glass vial with the rosemary he had picked before and two small pieces of paper.

_Are you sure this will work? I do not have the strength to speak out loud, as is normally required,_ Erestor said.

Glorfindel brushed his insecurities aside.

_If it does not work, I will try two times if I have to. Or more. Until the very moment it does work,_ he assured Erestor.

He felt Erestor's relief flooding over him.

Glorfindel lit the candles, carefully placing them on both sides of the bowl. He placed the pieces of paper next to it.

_Would you like me to begin? Or would you prefer to go first?_ Glorfindel questioned.

_I will go first,_ Erestor immediately said.

Glorfindel agreed with him, sitting down on the bed instead of taking the chair again. He wanted to be close to the dark beauty when he did this, wanted to do it as right as they possibly could.

Suddenly, the both of them were startled when a third person linked their mind with theirs.

_And I will assure that this union is blessed as it should be_, this person said.

Erestor's whole body shook, Glorfindel noticed, and disbelieve washed over him. He was extremely surprised to find Manwë in the room as well, though he managed to hide it somewhat better.

_That is an honour we will never be able to thank you for, Hír nîn,_ Glorfindel said, bowing his head even though he was not sure the Vala would see it.

Manwë reassured them.

_It is my pleasure. Eru himself told me that you are to be together in this way. It is my honour to bind two Elves whose love is as pure and true as yours._

Glorfindel briefly closed his eyes, trying to keep his emotions in control. His mind was still linked with Erestor's, and it would not do to make things harder on the already traumatized Elf.

As if Manwë felt this, which he probably did, he said:

_I think it is time to commence._

Erestor breathed in. It was obvious he was a little nervous. Glorfindel took both of his hands in his, soothingly squeezing them. That made him find the courage to speak.

_My dearest, loveliest 'Fin. It has not been but a short time of getting to know one another. For many years we have been friends. I remember asking you if you believed in soul mates. Your answer was: I believe there is someone out there for everyone. Someone that will complete our soul. For more than three hundred years, I was afraid to admit that I was certain that to me, you are the second part of my soul. But no longer. Here I am, heart and soul, confessing how I feel about you. You have touched my heart in so many ways, and words couldn't even begin to explain to you the love I feel for you. But I will say that I trust you with not only may life, but with my heart. I hereby give it to you, to have and to hold until the world's end._

Glorfindel had tears trickling down his face. He was so touched by the trust and love in Erestor words that he could not hold them back.

_My sweetest, most beautiful Erestor. When I saw you that first time, I was intrigued by you. Your dark beauty, your shy behavior made you a walking enigma I wanted to unravel. So many years have passed by since that day. You have allowed me in, have shown me what made you the Elf you are today. And still, I have many more questions I would like to see answered. And I know you want to answer those questions. I know you care for me and want to be with me. And I want the same.__You walked into my life and completely turned it around. I went from being lonely to being loved in such a short time. And now, I am re loved than I could have ever dreamed to be. All because of you. I gladly accept your heart. Yet, you cannot live without one. So I will give you mine in return. To have and to hold, until the world's end._

The happiness radiating from Erestor was nearly overwhelming. Glorfindel softly brushed away a tear when it escaped from his eye.

_And I bless this union, the power to do so having been granted by Eru Ilúvatar himself. From this day forward, no-one shall be able to come between you._

The Vala's presence began to fade, which only enhanced the feeling of overwhelming joy the both of them felt at now being officially married.

Glorfindel now picked up the small papers, holding them above the candles until they caught fire.

He threw them into the bowl. As soon as they were burning brightly, he shook the rosemary from the vial into the flames. The scent felt reassuring, spreading through the entire room.

_It is official now,_ Erestor said, smiling.

Glorfindel heard the tired note to his voice. This had been draining for his still wounded mate.

_Aye, it is._ Glorfindel smiled.

Taking a sea on the bed again, he pulled his raven haired husband against him. A sigh escaped the still too bleu lips.

_Rest,_ he said. _You need to sleep._

Erestor wanted to struggle, Glorfindel could tell. But he stopped when the warrior pressed a kiss to his head.

_I need you to become strong again. So we can begin our life together in good health. You cannot do that if you do not sleep, meleth,_ he chided.

Erestor smiled at that last word.

_Meleth…_ He whispered.

_Aye, meleth,_ Glorfindel repeated as he tightened his grip on his husband, glad Erestor liked it.

And before they knew it, the both of them had drifted off into a restful sleep that was not disturbed by a single dream.

**As with every chapter, here are the translations! Give a yell if I missed a word!**

**Peredhel: half-Elf**

**hír nîn: My lord**

**Hannon lle, meldir: Thank you, my friend**

**Nay: no**

**mellon nîn: My friend**

**Aye: Yes**

**Meleth: Love**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here we are again, with the fifth chapter already! I hope you will like reading it, because I enjoyed writing it very much! Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: everything you recognize is not mine. And it never will be either...**

**5**

"So what do we do now?" Erestor asked.

He knew it was a rather straightforward question to ask at only three hours past the rise of Arien, yet he did not want to waste an opportunity to tackle it. And now that he had Glorfindel by his side and wide awake, he deemed there was no better moment to talk to him about the things that would undoubtedly be changing in their life now that they were bonded.

"What do you mean, Erestor?" Glorfindel asked.

Erestor stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking about the right words to continue their conversation.

"We are bound. What do we do now that we are?" he wanted to know.

He watched as Glorfindel shifted slightly, intertwining their fingers when the warrior had gotten into a more comfortable position.

"There are many things to decide, meleth. But that does not need to happen today," he reassured.

He had expected that, as Glorfindel wanted him to heal completely before he began to worry about anything again.

"I know that. But you said I would be the one deciding how fast we would go. And I feel well enough to discuss some things today. Would you mind?" he asked.

A good week or so ago, Erestor had already tried to bring this up. But at that time, the warrior had told him he needed to rest some more and heal some more before they would bother with the changes they would have to make in their lives. That was also the moment he had told Erestor that he would be in control of whatever they did.

"Very well, then. What do you wish to talk about?" Glorfindel smiled.

Erestor smiled brightly. He knew he had Glorfindel completely wrapped around his finger already, and he had to admit he liked it.

"Do you want everyone to know we are bound, or would you prefer to keep that between us for the time being?" Erestor asked.

He of course had his own answer ready for when Glorfindel shot the question back at him, but he could only hope his husband would give him the same answer.

Glorfindel was silent for a few seconds before replying.

"I would very much like to inform those important to us. But only if you want that as well," Glorfindel said.

Erestor pulled Glorfindel closer, resting his hand against his cheek.

"I want that too," he said.

Glorfindel leaned into the touch. Erestor was glad the Seneschal was so at ease around him, that there was no insecurity in him. It made him feel very safe, and it gave him the courage to try something new once in a while.

"Then we will tell Elrond, his sons and our friends as soon as possible," Glorfindel promised.

He glanced at him hopefully.

"Tomorrow?" he asked.

Glorfindel chuckled.

"Aye, enwa," he confirmed.

Erestor was glad this was going so smoothly. He had some more difficult questions to ask, and this made it easier.

"Have you already thought about where we are going to be living?" Erestor asked.

He knew it was a very forward question, but he had become so used to having Glorfindel around during the night that he did not truly want to be separated from him in those dark hours when he was given a clean bill of health.

Glorfindel's eyes widened a little in surprise, making Erestor chuckle this time.

"Are you not going a wee bit too fast there?" he asked.

Erestor shook his head.

"I like having you close at night. That way I can stare at you while you are sleeping if I wake up at night. I've grown accustomed to being able to touch you whenever I feel like it, I have to admit. You always respond subconsciously, shifting when I need you to, or pulling me closer. And you can keep the memories away," Erestor said.

His heart skipped a beat when Glorfindel smiled that special smile that was only meant for him.

"As long as you are with me, meleth, it does not matter where we live," he confessed. "But you have to take your own situation into account as well."

Erestor thought about that for a second. He knew what Glorfindel meant, that he was right.

"I realize that. This room indeed hold many memories, good as well as bad. I have to decide whether I want to live here among them, or leave them in this room. But they are memories, 'Fin. They are not limited to this room, they can move about freely, to whatever place they fancy," he said.

Glorfindel waited patiently for him to continue, for which he was very thankful.

"I think I would feel more comfortable in your rooms," Erestor finally confessed.

"Then we will be living there once you are better," the warrior stated without giving it a second thought.

Erestor prodded Glorfindel slightly so he would make a better pillow before laying his head down on top of his chest. The warrior's hands immediately came up to stroke his raven tresses.

"Are you ready for some more questions?" he asked as soon as he was comfortable.

He felt the golden one's chest move beneath him as he laughed.

"Of course I am, meleth."

Erestor smiled, glad to be enveloped in the scent and warmth emanating from the body he was laying next to. Pulling at the strings of his lover's tunic, he pondered which of the many questions he still had on his mind he would be asking next.

Eventually, he settled for another difficult one. Or an easy one, depending what his hervenn thought of it.

"Would you have told me you were in love with me had I not been attacked and started to fade?" he asked.

He turned slightly, wanting to be able to see the expression on Glorfindel's face when he answered.

It was one of love, tenderness and devotion.

"Aye, nauvae harya," he responded with an absolute certainty in his voice. "I was tired of asking myself what could have been had I spoken up sooner, or what could become of us should I find the courage to admit my feelings."

There was naught but silence between them for a few minutes before Erestor managed to formulate a sentence again.

"I was too sick of crying myself to sleep at night because I deemed myself unworthy of you that I couldn't have gone on much longer without saying I loved you. But I'm not a very courageous Elf, as you might have noticed by now. I don't know whether I could have done it had it not been for the attack. I think I might have just kept going on as always," he confessed.

Glorfindel caught his chin in his hand when he lowered his eyes, makin him look at him again. Ever so slowly, he brought his head down to Erestor's, pressing a butterfly-light kiss onto his cheek.

Glorfindel had not yet properly kissed him, Erestor suddenly realized. The warrior was waiting for some sign he could. Unfortunately, the Noldo had not yet figured out what that sign might be.

"You would have told me." The note of utter certainty that had been there before, was back. "You would have told me, because you are the most courageous Elf I have ever met. Many others would have refused to let anyone tend to them, would have succumbed after one day. You fought. You allowed four people to take care of you. What a small thing would it have been then to say those three little words? To say 'Amin mela lle'?"

Erestor did not verbally respond, but lifted one hand to keep Glorfindel in place so he could place a kiss onto his cheek himself.

"I think you are right. I had never thought to find such courage within me. But I only did so because you were by my side," he reminded Glorfindel.

But Glorfindel shook his head determinedly.

"I only kept reminding you that you had that strength in you. You accessed it. It was you who did all the work, meleth," he said.

Erestor smiled at that. Glorfindel had a way of making him feel better. Part of that was his ability to say whatever Erestor needed to hear whenever he needed to hear it, another was his ability to make him smile or even laugh without any difficulty.

He toyed with a strand of golden hair absently, using his free hand to lazily trace patterns on the fair haired Elf's chest. He suddenly realized that his lover had not braided his hair and wondered whether there was a reason for that.

"Why haven't you braided your hair?" he questioned.

He nearly laughed when Glorfindel blinked absurdly quickly a few times, but managed to refrain from doing so.

"Why do you want to know?" Glorfindel turned the tables on him.

Erestor glared at him as sternly as he could.

"I asked you a question first, so I deserve an answer first. But for once, I shall indulge you. I was simply being curious," he admitted, a smile tugging at his lips.

Erestor knew there was no way Glorfindel would not answer his question now. And he was right, for the Vanya responded mere seconds later.

"I woke up this morning, and when I decided to start braiding my hair, I realized I was putting in lover's knots. I didn't know whether you would want anyone to know, so I removed them. But I couldn't seem to bring myself to put in my usual warrior's braids," he shyly said.

Erestor's heart melted at hearing those words. They reminded him that he wasn't the only one to be insecure sometimes. If he were honest, he had to admit that it made him feel like he was the strong one from time to time.

"You should leave them in next time," he said.

The image of his lover wearing those knots as they walked through the Last Homely House side by side assaulted him. Others would be so jealous, but they would not care. Not as long as they had each other.

"Or maybe I should let you put them in for me? You are good with your hands, far better than I am. And I'd always wear a visible token of our love," Glorfindel spoke.

Erestor's hand came to rest above Glorfindel's heart now, which thumped on strongly and determinedly.

"I would like that. Will you do the same for me? I'm sick of being stared at for not having some who loves me; now, I would love to have them watch at me for a different reason entirely," he softly said.

Glorfindel chuckled slightly, making Erestor lift his head to prevent being shaken too much.

"They already stare at you for a different reason. Come to think of it, I don't think they ever stared at you because you did not have a bonded one," the blonde Elda spoke.

This surprised him, because every time he had seen them whisper behind their hands, the looks they had given him had resembled pity. Had he really been mistaken all those long years?

"Then why do you think they have been staring at me for so long?" he wondered.

Erestor sighed in contentment when Glorfindel pressed his lips to the top of his head, though that did not diminish his curiosity at all.

"They have been staring at you for two hundred years because you are by far the most beautiful Elf that lives in Imladris. They are envious, but most of all, they are saddened you keep to yourself so much. Many would have adored the possibility of courting you," Glorfindel said.

Disbelieve was the main emotion coursing through the Noldo. It was very hard for him to believe this, as he had not thought of himself as beautiful in his entire life.

It was as if Glorfindel had picked up on that thought, because he suddenly elaborated.

"Your skin is flawless. You have no scars, no patches of darker skin… Your hair is like black silk, soft and near weightless, but also protecting you when you don't want people to look at your face. You have a nice body, though you hide it beneath your formal robes as to not attract any attention. But most of all, you speak wisely. You do not just anyone before you have spoken to them, without looking at the way they act. There are many reasons why they find you attractive. As do I," Glorfindel said.

His heart nearly burst with joy and love. Even though he was finding it difficult to believe everything his husband had just told him, he wanted to.

"Maybe one day, I'll believe that completely. As for now, I'll settle for believing you love me as I love you. That is more than enough," he smiled.

"And I'll remind you every day if I have to," Glorfindel promised, squeezing his hand slightly.

The Noldo pushed at the warrior playfully to tell him he was glad to hear that, but with only one hand that had sufficiently healed to use for that purpose, he couldn't be quite as playful as he wanted to.

Glorfindel, though, had other plans than playing. He was making to sit completely upright in bed.

"What are you doing, nîn ind?" he questioned.

The warrior smiled, but did not divulge a lot of information when he finally spoke.

"I'm simply doing something I should have done a while ago," he said.

His fair haired lover was tugging at his left hand as soon as the last syllable had died away, as that was the one he could use without experiencing any pain anymore. He quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

"You said I could leave the lover's knots in next time. I've decided I don't want to wait until tomorrow anymore. I'm going to put them in right now," he explained.

Erestor went to sit on the edge of the bed, staring at his husband when he swung his legs to the floor and looked around.

"There are some leather straps on the table in my bathroom. You could use them if you would like," he said, instinctively picking up on what his lover was searching for.

Nodding, Glorfindel slid from the bed. Erestor immediately missed having him near him, yet he managed to prevent himself from calling out to him.

It only took the Vanya half a minute to find the leather straps, which he brought back to the bed with him. Taking a seat again, he began to comb his hear to ready it for the next step.

Erestor lifted the straps from his lap as he was doing that. He wanted to be involved somehow, even though he could not yet braid his lover's hear or make his knots for him. This way, he would be able to hand him the straps and be a part of this, however little he would be doing.

Glorfindel's hands moves fast and skillfully through his hair, reminding him of the blonde Elda's swiftness with a sword as well. It only took him a minute to finish the two knots.

When Glorfindel had tied the second ribbon, Erestor lifted his hand to carefully touch them.

"They're beautiful," he whispered in awe.

Glorfindel smiled, gesturing for Erestor to move to the other side of the bed again. As soon as he had done so, his husband swung his legs back into the bed, propped himself up against the pillows and opened his arms to invite Erestor in.

He did not have to be told twice.

Erestor thought about the current setting. The room was quiet, it was warm and he was right next to the one he loved. Life did not get any better than that. So this seemed like the perfect time to ask his final question.

But he would be taking a huge risk in making this last demand. It might be pushing things just a tad too much. Although, if he did not ask anything, he would never get an answer.

"Can I ask you one last question?" Erestor whispered, his voice trembling slightly.

He felt how Glorfindel began to stoke his cheek, wordlessly telling him that he ought to calm down a little.

"You know I would never say no. So go ahead, meleth," the golden haired Elf said.

Erestor bit his bottom lip. Despite all of his lover's reassuring words, he was still feeling somewhat nervous.

Taking one last, deep breath, he finally managed to make the words fly from his mouth.

"Will you please kiss me?" he asked.

For a few seconds, there was naught but silence. His heart thumped in his throat, as with every minute that passed, the fear that he should have stayed silent intensified.

"Aye, I will," his husband whispered.

And oh so slowly, Glorfindel lowered his head to his. Erestor closed his eyes in anticipation, nearly forgetting to breathe now that he was finally going to be kissed properly for the first time since he and Glorfindel had confessed their love to each other.

But before their lips met, two arguing voices suddenly reached their ears.

Glorfindel's head snapped towards the door, as if he would be able to see the two fighting Elves through the wood. Erestor's eyes snapped open in surprise, as he had immediately realized who these two were.

"Are that Elladan and Elrohir? What on Arda had gotten into them to shout so loudly?" the warrior asked, baffled.

Erestor now intently stared at the door as well.

"It's most definitely Elrohir yelling at Elladan. I have no idea what brought this on, but it is not good at all. Listen to what they are screaming to one another," the Chief Advisor spoke.

They both fell silent so they could focus solely on the raised voices coming from the beginning on the hallway.

"Have you thought about what the others might say? How they will react? This is one of those things you're doing without thinking about the consequences again, is it not?" Elrohir yelled.

The anger and disbelieve were clearly audible in his voice. As was the note of longing that whatever Elladan had previously said, was true. Although no-one else would have noticed that.

"How can you say I did not think this through? How can you think I am playing games with you? If you don't realize I'm being serious, then you don't know me at all!" screamed Elladan.

The only sound that indicated that their conversation –or argument, actually- had ended, was a door being thrown shut very loudly. Everything else was dead quiet all of a sudden, as if the whole Homely House was holding its breath to see whether it was all really over.

"That was… unexpected," Glorfindel said.

Erestor nodded.

"Aye, it was! The twins hardly ever fight, and this was the first time they were this loud. They were really at each other's throats!" he said, worry evident in his voice.

Glorfindel rubbed his hand soothingly.

"Do you think we should tell Elrond about what we've just heard?" he then asked.

He watched his husband's face intently as the blonde Elda pondered that question for a second.

"I don't think we should. Either he will already know about it by the time we manage to find him, or the twins do not want him to know. We should respect that choice then," Glorfindel said.

Erestor nodded. Suddenly, a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes.

"But I do need to talk to you," he said.

Now it was Glorfindel's turn to raise an eyebrow in question.

"Oh really? What about then?" he asked.

A smile appeared on Erestor's face as he spoke.

"They cost me a kiss," he remembered his husband.

Glorfindel smiled.

"Then I believe I should rectify that," he said.

And Erestor sighed happily as a pair of soft lift pressed against his own in a butterfly-light kiss.

**As always, I have some translations ready. Let me know if I missed anything!  
><strong> 

**Meleth: love**

**Aye, enwa: Yes, tomorrow**

**Aye, ****nauvae harya: Yes, I would have**

**Amin mela lle: I love you**

**Imladris: Rivendell**

**nîn ind: My hear**

**Arda: earth**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: And here is the second chapter for the day! I hope you enjoy this one too. Because there will only be one more chapter! Next week, this story will come to an end, dear readers...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. And I never will, either...**

**6**

Glorfindel made his way towards the door to Erestor's room, trying to put his worries to rest.

It was past luncheon already, and he had not seen Erestor since breakfast. That was not a rare occurrence when the Noldo was submerged in his work, but he had yet to take up his duties as Elrond's right hand again.

What worried him most, however, was that he was now also absent for lunch. As long as Glorfindel could remember, he had always seen the raven haired Elf arrive right before the meal was served. Today, however, lunch had come and gone without even a glimpse of the other Elf.

Of course, it was very unlikely that anything was wrong. Erestor had regained quite a bit of his strength, his physical wounds had completely healed safe for a very faint scar on his back, and the fatigue that had plagued him for almost two weeks after he had finally started to recover, had begun to disappear.

But that did not change the fact that Erestor might be having a bad day. The fatigue could have become worse again, or he might have been assaulted by the memories because he had been forced to spend almost the entire day on his own, giving him too much time to think.

So he was on his way to check on his husband. If everything was okay, he would simply ask whether he need some food and see whether his company was wanted. If not, then he would most likely spend some time on the training grounds. He had not been working out nearly as much as he should have been for the last month, his mind having been too full of Erestor to think of anything else.

Finally reaching the door, he called out.

"Erestor?"

There was no response. He frowned, as Erestor would have normally responded immediately, having noticed his arrival the moment he had stepped in front of the door.

"Erestor?" he called again.

There was naught but silence as an answer. He really began to get worried now.

He decided against calling a third time, as he would probably still not get an answer. Instead, he pushed the door open.

As soon as he stepped inside Erestor's room, he realized why his husband was not responding. He could very clearly hear him humming in the bathroom, the soft sound of moving water mingling with the sound of his voice.

Glorfindel wanted to knock, but was halted when Erestor suddenly began to sing. He dropped his hand, listening to the words.

_Quiquië__ amin naa er as lle,  
>Lle cara <em>_nyë __fela ve amin naa már ata._

Glorfindel had never heard this song before. And he was not surprised. Though it was not widely known, he was aware that his lover made his own songs on occasion. This was probably one of them.

The words to this once were slightly sad, but most of all they spoke of love, of devotion and of gratitude. The words came straight from the raven haired Elf's heart, he was bearing his deepest and most secret emotions.

Unwilling to disturb the raven haired beauty, he remained outside the bathroom, leaning against the wooden door.

_Quiquië__ amin naa er as lle,  
>Lle cara <em>_nyë __fela ve amin naa ilya ata._

He did not know whether he should feel elated or sad at hearing those last words. Yes, a part of him had desired to make Erestor feel whole again. But not only when he was around. Did this mean he had failed?

_No, it does not,_ he told himself. _It only means your job is not finished yet, that is all._

And that was true. Even though Erestor had made some amazing progress, he was not there yet.

_Quiquië__ amin naa er as lle,  
>Lle cara <em>_nyë __fela ve amin naa nessa ata._

Glorfindel smiled at that. It was very through that Erestor would often stop abiding by the strict set of rules he had set himself millennia ago and would allow his more playful side to come out. He would behave a little silly, do things like stare at the clouds from his balcony and see animal-shaped ones or be as elated as an Elfling when Glorfindel taught him something new.

If the warrior were to be honest, it was one of the things he liked most about the other Elf. Because it made his heart burst with love and joy whenever he was his lover smile, and even more so when he laughed out loud.

_Quiquië__ amin naa er as lle,  
>Lle cara <em>_nyë __fela ve amin naa eina ata._

Erestor obviously did not know how much fun he really was. There was not a single day that he did not make Glorfindel laugh. Whether it was because he pulled a really funny face when he pretended to be angry, or because he looked in that special way when he was surprised or because he would stick out his tong like a naughty Elfling when he wanted to annoy Glorfindel, it all made the warrior laugh merrily.

Erestor had often accused him of being too happy when they had first become friends. He had said that some matters in life needed to be dealt with in an orderly, serious fashion instead of being laughed about. But after about ten years, he had begun to find it a rather nice thing about the Seneschal.

_Dan palan oa, amin meluva __illumë__ lle.  
>Dan andavë amin dartha, amin meluva <em>_illumë__ lle.  
><em>_Ui erma mana quetië amin queta, amin meluva __illumë__ lle.  
>amin meluva <em>_illumë__ lle.  
><em>

If he had not been too afraid of what his lover would to him if he ever found out about him eavesdropping, this would have been the moment he would have chosen to enter the bathroom and declare he felt the same way about him.

But Erestor was not completely comfortable with being seen naked, even by his husband. So those two things made him chose to stay in the bedroom. There would be time enough to tell him about his never ending love for him, or to remind him of it. And he would not waste any opportunity to do so.

Unfortunately, he did not have a song like this to help him get his message across. He knew very well that Lindir would probably be able to name him seven songs meeting the criteria if he asked him, but he wanted to do this himself. He wanted to find a song on his own, and maybe a part of him wanted to do that because he could not compose his own songs like Erestor could.

_Quiquië__ amin naa er as lle,  
>Lle cara <em>_nyë __fela ve amin naa léra ata._

It had not taken Glorfindel a long time to figure out Erestor sometimes felt constricted, incarcerated even by his work. Not that he did not like it, far from it even. He liked being able to help his Lord and those living under his Lord's care, he liked feeling useful. But every once in a while, he needed an escape from his responsibilities. He had seen that by the grateful smile Erestor had begun giving him when he had visited him on those busy days, providing a little distraction.

Glorfindel had taken to tease him with that a couple of times a week, but the other Elf had always been unwilling to admit there was any truth to it. Only four months after he had befriended the Chief Advisor, Erestor had finally admitted that.

Come to think of it, it had always taken Erestor a long time to admit he was right about anything. That had begun to change slightly as their friendship had deepened. And now, he usually admitted defeat after only a day or four, instead of pretending Glorfindel was wrong for weeks on end.

_Quiquië__ amin naa er as lle,  
>Lle cara <em>_nyë __fela ve amin naa poica ata._

Those words were really hard for Glorfindel to hear. Almost as hard as they were for Erestor to sing, judging by the way his voice was trembling. He knew that sometimes Erestor still felt dirty because of what the Uruk-Hai had done to him. That usually was when he woke up from a nightmare and was reminded that they were more than simply bad dream, that they were images. Luckily, he would allow Glorfindel to hold him close and chase that nasty feeling away.

But sometimes, it happened when Glorfindel said he was going to take a bath, or when Glorfindel forgot to close the door to the bathroom completely when he went in there to change into his nightwear.

At first, the warrior had not understood why. But little by little, realization had dawned. He did not feel comfortable enough to forget to shut the door when he changed for the night. Or to do as much as speak of being naked. He believed himself ugly since those vile creatures had touched him. He thought that nobody would ever voluntarily want to touch him again, or think him beautiful.

And that did not mean just his body. No, he thought that they had treated him the way they had because he was as ugly on the inside as he felt like he was on the outside. He had even asked the Vanya why else they would have attempted to rape him, saying that only the ones with a black soul would be taken away so cruelly. He had said that he must have done something unspeakably bad, for there was no other reason why Eru would have put him through all of this.

It had taken weeks to make Erestor see that he was wrong. Eru worked in mysterious ways. Who else than the Great Creator himself knew of all his plans? No-one, he had reminded him. So why should they try to make sense of it that had never been supposed to make sense?

Bit by bit, Erestor had realized that he could only accept it had happened, that trying to find an explanation would only tire him and prove fruitless at any rate. But that had not stopped his always active mind to try and do so once in a while.

So Glorfindel had taken to distracting him. Long walks to and along the Bruinen, games of chess that he would always lose because he had never been any good at it, getting him to talk about all of the happy childhood memories he had, about Elrond if he needed to, making funny faces at him when nothing else seemed to work.

He smiled thinking about the night he had spend three hours making those faces, almost until the very second his lover had finally managed to fall asleep. The happy expression that had been on Erestor's face had made him forget all of the pain his facial muscles had made him experience.

_Dan palan oa, amin meluva __illumë__ lle  
>Dan andavë amin dartha, amin meluva <em>_illumë__ lle.  
><em>_Ui erma mana quetië amin queta, amin meluva __illumë__ lle  
>amin meluva <em>_illumë__ lle._

_The things we do for love,_ Glorfindel mused.

Yes, the things one does for love. It did not matter what Erestor asked of him. Whether it was some attention, a kiss, a hug, something to eat, Glorfindel would jump and run to get him what he wanted.

And the same went for Erestor. Now that he was able to use both of his wrist again, he enjoyed being able to pamper Glorfindel from time to time. He had surprised him by bringing him breakfast in bed on the day they had been married for a month. Everything he liked had been on the platter: blueberries, rosehip tea, toast with strawberry marmalade. Erestor had remembered everything.

Of course he had asked why he had done it, but Erestor had only said one sentence. His excuse for bringing him the food in bed had been that he was grateful that he loves him, wanted to show him that he was still as madly in love with him as he had been that first day.

Glorfindel had returned the favor, though he had changed some things. The rosehip tea and toast had stayed, but he had changed the marmalade to apricot. He had remembered that Erestor had recently taken a liking to the marmalade as the strawberry reminded him too much of when he was fighting not to fade. And he had added blueberries, as they were his favorite fruit.

Now that he came to think of it, they had been surprising each other constantly since they had bonded. Not by bringing home present, or going too much out of their way for one another, but by revealing more of who they were, about their deepest dreams and desires every day.

_Dan palan oa, amin meluva __illumë__ lle  
>Dan andavë amin dartha, amin meluva <em>_illumë__ lle.  
><em>_Ui erma mana quetië amin queta, amin meluva __illumë__ lle  
>amin meluva <em>_illumë__ lle._

The song came to an end. Glorfindel had tears in his eyes, though they were not tears of sadness. They were a sign of how proud he was of his hervenn for being able to dig so deep into himself and draw out all of the raw emotions this songs had been about. Proud of how much he had recovered already.

He heard how Erestor stepped out of the tub. He knew it was time to decide what to do. Should he step outside again, wait until he was certain Erestor was in his bedroom and then knock?

If he did that, he would be lying to his husband. Well, not in words, but he would still be withholding information from him. And he did not feel comfortable doing that at all. He was not one to lie as it was, and he was married to Erestor now. That would make a bad thing even worse.

On the other side, if he stayed there, he would not be able to deny the fact he had heard Erestor singing. That would lead to a lot of questions, he was sure of it. Erestor would want to know why he had not called out to tell him he was there. He would not be happy with whatever answer he gave him.

He sighed; being honest was important to Erestor. He should tell him. Else there would be a whole lot of trouble when his lover finally figured out he had been spied on by the one he trusted more than anyone.

So Glorfindel moved over to the bed, taking a seat whilst waiting for Erestor to appear. Knowing the dark haired beauty like he did, he would not have to wait long.

And he was right. Not five minutes later his husband came out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a large, fluffy towel. He was wearing a black robe as always, though they were less heavy than his formal ones.

"What are you doing here?" Erestor asked, his eyes almost comically wide with surprise.

Glorfindel immediately responded, as it was best not to make it seem like he had been attempting to hide anything. With Erestor's faith in other still being so fragile, he did not want to do anything that would jeopardize it.

"I came to see whether you were hungry. When you didn't respond, I came in, only to find you were taking a bath. I heard you sing, and I couldn't leave…" he apologized.

He lowered his head in shame. But Erestor lifted it, forcing him to look into his eyes as they continued the conversation.

"You weren't meant to hear that… It's not a very happy song, I'm afraid," Erestor said.

Glorfindel ticked against his chin in a thoughtful way.

"That would depend on how you look at it, I suppose. It can be a happy or un unhappy song, depending on what you want it to be," he said.

Erestor looked at him, the message he did not understand what on earth his husband was talking about very clear in his eyes.

"You sing that you are happy, home, whole again. Those are good things, right? Especially if they are true," he said.

Erestor nodded.

"Aye. And they are true," he said.

Glorfindel smiled.

"Then it is a happy song. And I liked it," he admitted.

Glorfindel was surprised to find that Erestor's cheeks colored slightly as he said that. He had actually never seen him blush before.

"I'm glad you liked it," Erestor said, his cheeks becoming even redder as he said the words.

"And why is that, meleth?" Glorfindel asked.

He waited patiently for Erestor to answer as the Noldo wrung his hands in a very obvious statement of nervousness.

"I like singing. And I have a lot more of those songs. Now that I know you like them, I won't have to feel nervous when I want to sing them anymore," Erestor stated.

Glorfindel pulled him closer, resting his ear just above Erestor's heart and letting his hands settle on his waist.

"You don't have to feel nervous at all anymore. In fact, I would love for you to sing to me once in a while. I don't have a good enough voice to do so, and I have to admit I would like to hear yours more often," he said.

Erestor did not verbally respond. Instead, Glorfindel was overwhelmed when a pair of soft lips pressed against his to tell him he would be hearing whatever song he wanted whenever he wanted to hear it.

And as far as he was concerned, life would not be getting any better.

**And the translations! I did not add the lyrics, though. You'll have to look those up yourselves! ;) And listen to them as you read this, maybe? ;) The song is "Lovesong" by Adele.**

**Hervenn: husband**

**Meleth: love**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here is the final chapter of this story. I'm really sorry it took me so long to put it up, but I'd forgotten it wasn't here and when someone reminded me of it, I discovered I didn't have it anymore. My best friend still had her copy of the story, so here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Else, Erestor and Glorfindel would have had a very large role in the movies!**

**7**

The leaves outside were beginning to change color. Every once in a while, one could be seen falling to the ground already, though most trees were still proudly wearing their red, yellow or brown crown.

Although the sun was shining a little less brightly now that fall was rapidly approaching, it was still nicely warm outside.

But the small congregation standing beneath two very large and very old oak trees with another ancient ash tree almost completely hidden behind them, as not paying any attention to the weather. They only had eyes for the beautiful pair in front of them.

There was no division in rows, as the number of Elves present was slightly too small. Instead, they were all gathered side by side.

Elladan and Elrohir were standing next to each other, holding hands. A couple of weeks after the fight they had had in the corridor a little over a year ago, Erestor had figured out they were in love, and that that had been the reason they had been arguing. By reminding the both of them that everything you wanted was something that was worth fighting for, he had helped them realize there was no reason to keep hiding.

Lindir was holding Melpomaen's hand. Exactly two months ago, they had confessed their love to one another. Glorfindel had suggested they came to the binding ceremony together instead of separately, pretending they were not a couple. Erestor had thanked him for his intellect, as Melpomaen was rather shy and would have never dared to ask his newfound lover to accompany him.

At the far right side, however, were two amazingly beautiful Elves none of the others had ever seen before. They had arrived that morning, and Glorfindel and Erestor had said they had been invited and should be treated with the utmost respect. As Elrond had seen the obviously surprised and happy expression on their faces, he had allowed for the two to stay.

There was only one Elf who was alone. That Elf was Legolas, son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood. They had met this younger Elf a long time ago, and had often met him during his visits here. And Elrond had taken quite a liking to him. They were hoping this would be a good way of making the two admit their feelings.

At that moment, Elrond was smiling brightly at his two best friends, who were standing right in front of him, holding each other's hand lovingly.

Erestor was dressed in blue robe, still rather dark but already quite a stretch from the heavy black robes he had been known to wear every day until about two months ago. When Elrond had spoken to him about it, Erestor had told him the robes were an indication he was ready to move forward, away from being bound to the memories and continue making a new life with the one he loved. At any rate, the color complemented his dark hair, which seemed to shine even more brightly than normal. And in those tresses were some delicately placed beats, which was an enchanting sight to behold.

Glorfindel was wearing a green robe, darker than the ones he had been accustomed to wearing before he and Erestor had started to date. It was his way of fitting in with his hervenn, he had said to Elrond when they had looked at the roe the day before. His hair had been braided, but not in the usual warrior braids he had been wearing for the biggest part of his life. He and the Lord of the Imladris Valley had drawn the patters out, delicate yet with a hidden strength and absolutely gracious and beautiful.

With one last look to the sky, Elrond judged it was time.

"My dear family and friends," he began. "We are gathered here today to join two people who have expressed their mutual desire to spend their lives together."

He looked at the others, the twinkle in his eyes betraying how happy he was to see so much love and devotion surround him, brought to his home by his friends and family.

"These two are Erestor and Glorfindel. Both of them are honorable Elves, who have walked in the light during all the long years they have lived so far. And together, I am certain they will continue to walk the same road," he said.

Glorfindel squeezed his lover's hand to let him know he shared his friend's feeling. His smile was bright enough to blind anyone looking at him.

Erestor squeezed back, just to let his husband know he was so glad this was really happening. He had waited for a whole year before Glorfindel had finally asked him to have a real, official binding ceremony in front of the people they loves, Elrond and his sons who were like a family to them, and their friends Melpomaen and Lindir. And of course their two special guests. And after they had gotten engaged, it had taken them another year to completely arrange their wedding.

"Before we can begin the official binding part of the ceremony, there is one important question I need to ask. I do not at all believe it is necessary, but they insisted I put it in. They said they wanted things to be done properly," he said.

The twins laughed softly as they heard their father speak those words. Melpomaen gently nudges Lindir to do the same, as they were not supposed to interrupt the ceremony in any way.

"That question is of course: does anyone object to these two Elves being united, sharing their soul with one another? If your answer is yes, speak now or forever hold your peace," Elrond said.

As was required at this time in the ceremony, Glorfindel and Erestor turned towards the Elves they had invited to the marriage. They kept holding hands the entire time.

However, no-one spoke up. They had not expected anyone to, yet they had wanted to have the question in the ceremony because they had not had the possibility of doing things properly the first time, and they wanted to make up for that now. They wanted everything to be perfect.

Elrond glanced at everyone once, very quickly. Seeing only warm feelings in their eyes, he focused his attention on the couple again.

"Then, I will continue," he said.

He gestured for his sons, who came forward. Stepping behind their father, they picked up the small, silver bands with one stone each that had been laying on a dark red cushion wrapped in satin.

As Elladan stepped into place next to Glorfindel and Elrohir appeared at Erestor's side, Elrond said:

"You are now joined by your witnesses. In times of trouble, when the road before you grows dark and you cannot seem to find a reason to keep fighting, they are the ones that will help you recall why you were here today. Why you wanted to bond with each other. Though you will remind one another of that every day, they will be there to do it of either one of you is unable to," he said.

Elladan and Elrohir lifted their hands, placing them onto the shoulder of Erestor and Glorfindel. The warrior's hand came to rest on top of Elladan's, as the Chief Advisors came to rest on that of his twin.

"To seal your promise to one another, there is only one thing missing. You need to tell your beloved how much you love him. Do the two of you have your vows ready?" he asked.

Glorfindel nodded as Erestor spoke.

"Aye, we do," said the Chief Advisor.

Elrond smiled.

"Then you may now complete the last step in getting married. Remember, once you have said the words, there is no turning back. You will be united until you are parted by death or the ending of Arda," he said.

Glorfindel and Erestor nodded. Elladan and Elrohir removed their hands now, allowing the two Elves to turn towards one another completely.

Glorfindel looked at Erestor questioningly. With a slit shake of his head, he indicated that Glorfindel was to start.

The warrior took one last, deep breath, and began to speak.

"I, Glorfindel, take you, Erestor, to be my husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

They were touching words, spoken from the heart. And although no words would ever by able to help him explain how much he loved his husband, these words were the closest he could get.

Erestor smiled at him. The raven haired beauty was somewhat calmer than his husband, but he was glad when Glorfindel mouthed 'I love you' just before he began to speak.

"I, Erestor, take you, Glorfindel, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live."

Erestor had long thought that words would never be sufficient to explain how he felt about Glorfindel. But he had chosen these words because they were the most suited ones.

And the both of them knew they did not needs words. A simple touch to a knee, or a back or a single look could convey more than a thousand words.

"I now declare you bonded. You may kiss each other to seal your union," Elrond said.

And when Glorfindel felt Erestor smile against his lips, the ceremony was over and they had been granted everything they had ever wanted.

"And now, for the first time, you may head to the dance floor to dance as a married couple," Elrond laughed.

When they walked towards their friends, Lindir began to sing. A couple of other minstrels had arrived just in time to begin playing a soft tune suited to dance to.

Glorfindel rested his hand on Erestor's head as they began to dance. His arms encircles his waist and Erestor sighed contently.

"Look. The others are joining in," Glorfindel suddenly whispered into his ear.

Erestor looked up. Lindir and Melpomaen were walking onto the dance floor, as were the twins. And even Elrond had taken a hold of Legolas' hand and was guiding him towards the open space.

Only their two special guest were not coming. They were very slowly, inch by inch, making their way to the ash tree and the seclusion it provided.

"I think they are about to leave," Erestor stated.

A single look told Glorfindel that he was right.

"Then we should talk to them before they go," he said.

Erestor nodded. Without even paying attention to the other dancers, he pulled Glorfindel with him.

The she-Elf and her husband stood right behind the oak tree, waiting patiently for them to arrive.

"We knew you would see us take our leave. We would like to stay longer, but unfortunately, duty calls," Varda apologized.

Glorfindel and Erestor bowed their head in respect.

"My Lord, my Lady, we are honored you have stood by us for so long. Being given your blessing was unexpected, incredible. The offer we made to you, Lord Manwë, still stands. If ever you wish for something in return, you need but ask and you shall have it," Glorfindel said.

Erestor nodded in agreement.

Varda smiled, grabbing the hand her husband extended towards her before speaking.

"We only need you to keep doing as well as you have. That way, we will all be happy," she said.

And they began to fade, their bodies seemingly dissolving and being carried away on the wind.

Glorfindel pulled Erestor towards him, kissing the top of his head as they continued to stare at the spot where the two Valar had previously stood.

_Yes, we have been doing pretty well,_ Glorfindel thought, tightening his hold on Erestor for a second. _And together, we will keep doing pretty well. From now until the world's ending._


End file.
